Trading Lives
by quietthinker
Summary: One simple choice can have drastic consequences. What if Jimmy and Cindy hadn't tried to destroy each other's lives in "Trading Faces?" What if they truly had formed a truce and lived each other's lives? This story finds out.
1. Armistice

**Author's Note: I'll do my best to update in a reasonable manner, but I can't make promises. This story is expected to last 5 chapters.**

* * *

As Jimmy Neutron stormed into Ms. Fowl's classroom and reluctantly took the empty seat to Libby's right, he could only focus on five words. The one simple phrase they composed had been shouted in a shrill shriek by Cindy not a half hour before. _Then fix this, you idiot!_

Jimmy scoffed at the audacity of that remark. How could she call him an idiot, when he had single-handedly, albeit accidentally, proven that mind transplantation was possible? As if that weren't enough, there was the unspoken sentiment behind that terse diatribe; the idea that this was all Jimmy's fault. Now that was utterly laughable.

 _Maybe I wouldn't have felt the need to pick that harpy's brain if she hadn't humiliated me the day before. And it's not as though I could have predicted lightning would happen to strike the phone pole carrying our conversation._ Jimmy nodded at his flawless logic before sighing in defeat. In the end, he supposed it didn't matter how wrong Cindy was to blame him or the circumstances that had led him to this moment.

The only thing that mattered was that he was trapped in Cindy Vortex's body.

"Ugh." The simple thought of his predicament made Jimmy moan as a reflexive shudder coursed through his body.

Libby spun towards James with a look of concern. "You alright, girl?"

Before Jimmy could answer, Cindy Vortex all but twirled her way into the classroom in James' body. Jimmy shot her a look that could kill, but she merely grinned mischievously as half the class gawked in confusion.

"That dweeb gets weirder every day," Libby mumbled before flipping her headphones on.

"Yeah, he's really pushing it," Jimmy loudly snarled while locking eyes with his nemesis. He watched Cindy grin wider and take a seat at what used to be his desk.

* * *

Cindy Vortex didn't think anything could wipe away the smirk that humiliating Jimmy had brought, but hearing the bespectacled boy beside her speak proved her wrong.

"Hey Jim," Carl happily greeted. "You really nailed that twirl!"

Sheen slammed both fists onto his desk and nearly jumped out of his chair. "It was a pirouette, Carl! If you're not going to respect the art of the dance then maybe it's time I break out the Crazy Porpoise and show you what's -"

Cindy sighed and gripped her desk tight. "Will you two chowder-heads knock it off before I…" she noticed the class stare at her strangely and felt her lips twitch at the words she realized she'd have to speak. "Before I tell you two you're the best and coolest kids in fifth grade?"

"Aww," Carl and Sheen cooed in concert.

Cindy shook her head and lifted her desk up to grab a pencil. She realized her mistake a half second too late. The booby trap she'd placed the afternoon before went off with a loud _**splat!**_ and showered her entire face in dark blue ink. She immediately felt her cheeks burn bright red and was thankful that the ink hid her embarrassment. Both her relief and humiliation evaporated as soon as she saw Jimmy's ecstatic face.

"Oh, so it's war, is it?" she asked with a near-hysterical chirp.

Jimmy's face instantly fell. "You're the one that put it there!"

Cindy ignored Jimmy's valid point. She spun around, kneeled on her chair, and shouted to the entire class, "Look at me everybody! I, Jimmy Neutron, am a blue-faced cross-eyed nosepicker!" She shoved an index finger deep in one nostril and gleefully twisted it about.

As Cindy should have realized by now, her joy at the class' laughter was to be short-lived. Jimmy jumped off his chair, placed his left arm in his armpit, and asked, "Oh yeah? Listen to this."

Cindy jabbed a threatening finger towards the ceiling and warned James, "Don't you dare."

Jimmy ignored those words of warning and promptly squeezed his arm against his hand. All but Libby and Ike laughed uproariously. Libby stared at her friend in horror, and Ike lowered his sunglasses to ask, "No one else thinks something weird is going on?"

The class ignored Ike's question and turned their attention to Nick Dean, who lazily strolled into the classroom. He noticed the ink on Cindy's face and cast her a curious glance. Cindy's face melted in an awkward smile until she realized she was currently both a mess and a boy. She quickly sat back in James' seat and watched in horror as Nick approached him.

"Hey Cindy, what happened last night? You said something about an extra concert ticket and then the line went dead."

 _Oh no_.

Beads of sweat instantly began to streak down her stained face as she watched Jimmy's look of confusion morph into one of utter victory. Her heart was fluttering, the air seemed to seep out of some leak in her lungs, and her stomach felt like she was right at the climax on _The Bat Outta Heck_. In that moment, she realized three simple things: Jimmy Neutron held all the cards, he was going to use them, and she was powerless to stop him.

* * *

Jimmy Neutron cleared his throat to draw all eyes towards him. This was of course unnecessary, his and Cindy's fight had gathered the attention of every kid in class. He took one last second to savor his victory, examined his nails in the most lady-like manner he could manage, and spoke. "I wouldn't -"

He'd only gotten through those first two words when he truly caught sight of Cindy's face. Dilated pupils indicated a surge of adrenaline, the beads of sweat and slightly rosy cheeks indicated anxiety, and the expression on her face radiated terror and something else it took him a moment to analyze. That last thing was complete and utter devastation.

Jimmy realized the pause between words had grown too long; the class was mumbling in confusion. Cindy's face was morphing now to grim resignation; it was a vain attempt to hide the pain she expected him to cause her. But she couldn't conceal it all. And though Jimmy was furious at the girl beside him, he realized two simple things: he had the power to completely break his nemesis, yet still knew it was wrong to do so.

Jimmy Neutron cleared his throat once more and started his answer over. "I wouldn't have hung up on you on purpose." He struggled to make up a somewhat convincing lie as Cindy tilted her head in confusion. "That storm shorted out my phone, that's why I couldn't call you back. Sorry."

Nick studied Jimmy for a few more seconds before shrugging his shoulders. "Alright. Just let me know if you do have some tickets. I'm always up for a cool show with a cool girl." Every female in the class save Cindy melted at Nick's remark as he headed to his seat in the back row.

Jimmy nodded and sat back down at Cindy's desk. He turned to his right and watched Cindy slowly take her seat as well. Ms. Fowl strolled into the classroom and told her pupils to get settled, but Jimmy kept his eyes on Cindy for a few seconds longer. For the first time he could remember, her lips twitched into what could have been a thankful smile.

For the first time that Ms. Fowl's class could remember, not a single word was spoken by Jimmy or Cindy for the rest of the morning.

* * *

The lunch bell was only mid-ring, but half of Ms. Fowl's class had already dashed out of their seats and towards hallway. Cindy noticed that Jimmy seemed to be in no rush; he was clearly taking his time by organizing his desk before leaving the room. They both waited until everyone else had walked out, then Jimmy rose out of his chair and slowly walked away without a word.

 _Can never make it easy_ , Cindy thought with a roll of her eyes. She followed a few steps behind Jimmy and waited until they were in the hallway and out of Ms. Fowl's earshot. "Hey Neu…I mean Vortex!"

Jimmy stopped and spun around. "What is it, Vor…darn it. I mean Neutron."

Cindy managed a quick huff of amusement at how poor of a job they were doing. She waited for a group of third-graders to pass them by and with a low voice said, "I wanted to, well, you know."

Jimmy shook his head. "I don't, actually. This brain of yours doesn't process things as quickly as mine does."

"Then forget it," Cindy snapped while marching towards the cafeteria. She only got a few steps before Jimmy's voice's carried from behind her.

"What should I have known?"

Cindy sighed and spun around. That smile that always meant Jimmy found one of his own remarks too funny was melting away and leaving a blank stare in its wake. She waited a few seconds before grumbling, "Thanks."

Jimmy seemed to consider this for a long moment. "You're welcome." Cindy watched his face scrunch up in thought; it was clear he wanted to say more. Yet after a few seconds his features relaxed and he spoke no further.

Cindy weighed her options and then took a step towards James. "Look, Neutron. We can screw each other's lives up a million ways, but then we're not going to have anything left to go back to. So how about for now we call a truce."

Jimmy considered this proposal for only a few seconds. "That sounds fair."

Cindy nodded and resumed her march towards the lunchroom. Jimmy fell in step beside her, and she quietly continued their conversation. "We need to figure out exactly how we're getting our bodies back and how to survive until then." She clamped her mouth shut as a few more kids pushed their way past her. "And this isn't exactly the place to do it. Let's go to The Candy Bar after school and sort out a plan. Okay?"

Jimmy nodded back. "Okay." He hesitated a moment and then asked, "And maybe no more pirouetting until then?"

Cindy huffed and devilishly countered, "I'll do my best."

* * *

Jimmy could feel the eyes of everyone in The Candy Bar on him and Cindy as they strolled into the restaurant together. A glance at Cindy revealed she felt just as uncomfortable as he. They took their seats at a lonely booth in the corner and quickly got to work.

"Alright, Vortex," Jimmy began while pulling what appeared to be a phonograph attached to a phone out of his backpack. "The Neutron Encephalosynthesizer works by separating and magnifying our alpha brain waves. It was never meant to transfer minds, but did so after being subjected to a high voltage of electricity."

Cindy nodded; she'd already heard how the device worked during yesterday's show and tell. "Then all we should have to do is hook ourselves up to it and blast it with electricity again, right?"

Jimmy's cupped his empty hand in the air while shrugging. "That's the general idea, but we were extraordinarily lucky to have survived the last mind transfer. This thing wasn't built for that; it could have just as easily fried our brains."

Cindy's tone turned harsh. "So you're saying you nearly killed us both."

"I'm saying we should focus on the future, not the past," Jimmy countered. "Except maybe the parts of the past where I spared you crippling humiliation and social suffering."

"Those parts of the past wouldn't have happened if a certain bumble-headed dipstick hadn't tried to **listen to my thoughts**!" Cindy seethed while digging her nails into the table.

Jimmy prepared to toss another cold remark at Cindy when he felt a looming presence beside him. He and Cindy stared up at Sam, whose trembling hands held a shaking pencil and notepad.

"I'll give you two a minute, yeah," he offered before slowly backing away.

Jimmy watched him go, but Cindy didn't hesitate to turn her attention back to their fight. "You know what your problem is, Neutron? You escalate everything! I make fun of your puny height, you **leave a girl-eating plant on my doorstep**!" Cindy's voice lashed out with a surprising fury. "I say Thomas Edison maybe isn't the best inventor in the world, you **nearly destroy the entire timeline**! I make it seem like your brain yodels and how do you respond?" Cindy tapped her chin before slamming her palms back on the table. "That's right, you **listen to my thoughts and steal my body!"**

For the first time, Jimmy wasn't sure how to counter Cindy's argument. He simply sat there for a quiet moment as Cindy finished with, "So sorry if I'm not giving you a free pass because you decided not to ruin my life this morning."

Cindy took in a deep breath after her diatribe and leaned back in her seat, waiting for Jimmy to snap back with some asinine explanation for how everything was actually her fault. Instead, he simply sat in silence for a few more seconds before asking, "So what do you want?"

"What do you mean?" Cindy tiredly asked.

"Do you want to destroy my life?" Jimmy calmly asked. "And have me ruin yours?"

Cindy rubbed her forehead and answered, "No. I want my body back. That's it."

As Jimmy considered this, Cindy stared at the palms and fingers that weren't hers. Then she grasped the dry brown her that felt so cold and alien. As she truly considered how simply **wrong** the act of being currently felt, Jimmy quietly spoke.

"You were on the right track."

"What?" Cindy asked while dropping the strands of hair.

"Combining the Encephalosynthesizer with electricity switched our minds once, so it can do it again. We just have to be careful to make sure it doesn't kill us first. I can create two model minds on computers in my lab. Then we hook the device up to them and apply different voltages of electricity one at a time."

Cindy considered this and nodded. "So we see what voltage will switch our minds back without frying them."

"Exactly," Jimmy agreed.

Cindy stared at the clock on the Candy Bar's wall and narrowed her eyes. It was already nearing four o'clock. "We can't start tonight, though. You need to get my body to piano lessons. My mom will kill me if I miss it."

Jimmy cocked an eyebrow. "We?"

Cindy shook her head in disbelief. "Yes **we** , you moron. The last time you invented something it unintentionally, once again, **switched our minds**. I am not letting you use anything else you create on me unless I'm watching you make it." Cindy's lips slowly turned upwards as she realized something. "And besides, it's not like you can get into your lab without my hair."

Jimmy's eyes bugged out in horror as Cindy added, "Maybe I'll just relax in there tonight. Put my feet up, let Humphrey on the furniture…I could even do some redecorating!"

"No," Jimmy flatly uttered. Cindy's playful daydreaming was cut short by the sternness of Jimmy's tone. "Please," he whispered with a slight quiver, "no."

Cindy stared at Jimmy for a few seconds before sighing. "Fine."

Jimmy smiled thankfully before shaking the kind expression away. "We clearly need to set up some ground rules if we're going to be stuck like this."

"Agreed," Cindy shot back.

"You can't go in my lab unless I'm with you," Jimmy began. "You have to make sure Goddard fully recharges each night, do your best not to destroy the inventions in my bedroom, and be nice to my parents."

Cindy considered these requests and found them reasonable. "Okay. But you have to go to piano lessons on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday. Tai-chi is Wednesday and Thursday. I know you're not any good at those things," she said with a hint of disgust, "but can you at least make an effort not to make me look like I had a stroke or something?"

"Fine," Jimmy agreed.

"And obviously don't get me in trouble with Mom or Dad," Cindy pleaded. "Especially Mom," she barely whispered before shaking her head. "And take care of Humphrey."

Jimmy rolled his eyes. "You know bulldogs can't even give birth naturally? That's how inferior of a dog Humphrey is."

"Do you know your dog is literally not a dog?" Cindy shot back. "That's how inferior of a dog Goddard is."

Jimmy's eyebrows furrowed downwards, but his eyes shot open as he came to one last realization. "There's one other thing. How do we, um," Jimmy rubbed the back of his neck. "You know."

Cindy squinted one eye in confusion. "No. How do we what?"

Jimmy whispered, "Shower and stuff?"

Cindy pulled back in shock, she'd been able to avoid that question last night. She'd thankfully showered an hour before they'd swapped bodies. "We don't!"

"This could take a week to fix," Jimmy nervously answered. "Our parents are going to make us stay hygienic."

Cindy reflexively shivered. "Eyes closed, eyes closed," she anxiously repeated.

"The bathroom should stay dark, really," Jimmy agreed.

"Just let the water run over you. Just stand there," Cindy begged.

"Towels are overrated, really," Jimmy agreed. "Air drying is the way of the future!"

Both children stared at each other, down at their bodies, and shivered once more.

"So we're all settled, then?" Cindy asked.

"Yeah," Jimmy agreed while leaping off the booth. "I'll go to your lesson now."

"Thanks," Cindy offered. "I guess I'll…I don't know, throw a magnet at Goddard or whatever you do with him."

Both children walked towards the door and exited the Candy Bar. A quiet moment passed as they stood awkwardly beside one another.

"Well, see you tomorrow," Cindy said while starting the walk to Jimmy's house. She saw Jimmy head in the opposite direction towards the music store she always got her lessons at, then heard his voice ring out.

"Hey Vortex?"

"Yeah?" Cindy asked.

"I'm sorry," Jimmy admitted before continuing his stroll.

Cindy watched him for a few more seconds, then continued on her way home.


	2. Bleed and Heal

James Neutron was surprised at how enamored he was by the dojo he'd just been dropped off at. While Mrs. Vortex had driven him towards his t'ai-chi lesson and chattered on about Cindy's upcoming tournament, Jimmy's stomach had felt akin to a load of laundry in the washer.

James was thankful that he and Cindy had agreed to not destroy each other's lives, but he had a feeling the truce was heavily based on his performance at Cindy's extra-curricular activities. He hoped she was willing to show him some leeway, but he suspected that was dependent on him putting serious effort in. If he didn't want to watch his body wear a tutu to school and break into poorly choreographed musical numbers in the hallway, he had to do his best at being Cindy Vortex.

So he had. After his somewhat embarrassing piano lesson yesterday he had brushed up on the basics of T'ai chi ch'uan. As Jimmy strolled around the empty square room that served as the dojo's training arena, he couldn't help but crack a tiny smile.

For all of the barbs he'd tossed at Cindy over the years, he had never doubted her martial prowess. He had expected her to train at an intimidatingly enormous and world-renowned facility; instead the building he currently occupied was quiet and unassuming. The yellow mats carefully arranged on a polished hardwood floor, the white screen windows, and even the calming meditative music playing in the background had set him at near complete ease.

At the moment, the arena was completely empty save for Jimmy; Mrs. Vortex had taken great care to ensure he was early. Jimmy finished circling the floor and ended in a corner with a five-foot tall mirror. A glance into the polished glass revealed Cindy's iridescent green pupils.

Jimmy let out a tiny sigh and stared down at his white robe. Cindy's annoyingly ankle-less khaki peeked out from the edge of the snowy fabric, but his eyes quickly settled on the copper tiger medal pinned to the center of the robe's black belt. James stared at its reflection curiously before extending his right arm. He took a cautious look around the room and, after ensuring he was still alone, playfully flexed a bicep.

Switching into Cindy's body had of course brought with it a myriad of annoyances. He found his mind working somewhat slower as his consciousness struggled to utilize Cindy's less advanced brain. It was of course infuriating having to shower and get dressed in pitch blackness. He had also learned his lesson after the Yolkian abduction a month ago and was completely willing to admit that he missed his parents. But there was one nice thing about switching bodies. For the first time, James Neutron was strong.

Jimmy no longer found running after the bus an exercise in hypoxia. In gym class today he had climbed the rope all the way to the ceiling faster than even Nick or Ike. "I'll have to find some way to bulk up once I switch back," Jimmy mumbled while letting out a slow breath and closing his eyes. He clasped both hands together in a meditative pose and went on, "Maybe I can invent something to enhance my myocytes' metabolic and mitotic capabilities."

Jimmy nodded at this idea and let out a slow breath. He decided to try out one of the simplest poses he had read up on the night before: Parting the Horse's Mane. He started by spinning to the left and advancing his left leg forward. He stretched until this limb was bent at the knee and his right leg was at a 45-degree angle. He was amazed to find his left arm already rising up and his right palm lowering to his waist.

"Muscle memory," he huffed in disbelief. "Incredible."

The murmurings of a small crowd snapped Jimmy's attention over his shoulder. He watched five children enter through the missing panel of the arena's south wall that served as its entrance. All seemed his age and were dressed in identical white robes with different medals pinned to their belts. A couple waved or nodded; Jimmy offered these classmates a tentative smile back. Once these silent greetings were exchanged, the class' instructor entered through a small door at the back of the room.

James fell in row with the other students and was relieved to find himself blending into the class as they rotated through a half dozen basic poses. Grasp the Bird's Tail, White Crane Spread its Wings, even Snake Creeps Through the Grass; Jimmy managed to complete them all without making a complete idiot of himself. The nervous twitching of his stomach had all but disappeared when his instructor quietly said, "Now you may spar."

Jimmy swallowed a nervous gulp as a bespectacled girl with short brown hair walked up to him. "Cindy, do you want to partner up?"

Jimmy nodded and squeaked out, "Sure."

James followed the girl's lead; the two children assumed a fighting stance four feet apart. Jimmy bent his knees, clenched both hands info fists, and raised them up to his chin. The girl offered an intimidating smile before all emotion drained from her face. This was immediately followed by a lunge forward and a right jab. Muscle memory helped Jimmy throw up his left arm to parry the blow, but the girl simply flowed with Jimmy's defense. As Jimmy shoved her arm to the side, the girl moved with it, spun around, and swept Jimmy's legs out from under him.

Jimmy fell hard to the ground and yanked his head back as a fist came flying at his throat. He knew that tracheal blows could be fatal and his eyes bugged out in fear, but the punch stopped a hair's width from his skin. The girl opened her fist and offered to help Jimmy up, and he breathed a sigh of relief while accepting her aid.

"You good?" she asked while hoisting Jimmy to his feet.

"Yeah." Jimmy nodded and resumed his fighting stance. "Let's try again."

* * *

Two hours later, after a quick dinner and shower, Jimmy crossed the street separating his and Cindy's houses. He'd barely stepped foot on what used to be his lawn when he noticed Cindy in front of his lab, impatiently tapping her foot.

"You're late," she tersely said.

Jimmy shrugged and answered, "Blame your mom, not me."

Cindy sighed, which seemed to relax her features. "I do." She uncrossed her arms and asked, "How was t'ai chi? You didn't lose my copper tiger, did you?"

"Huh?"

"Were you so awful that they didn't think you were me?" Jimmy didn't quite appreciate how each word was spoken slowly as if he were a toddler. "Or that I had a stroke?"

"Will you stop worrying about strokes?" Jimmy shot back. "And no, I don't think anyone noticed."

Cindy cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"There's really no pleasing you, is there Vortex?"

"Neutron -"

"It was fine," Jimmy tiredly interrupted. "It was actually kind of…well, fun."

Cindy huffed in disbelief. "You didn't win a spar, did you?"

"Well not in the technical sense, but Master Ken did say that we're all winners if we try our best."

"That's what losers say," Cindy scoffed back.

Jimmy took in a slow breath to temper his growing fury. _Sorry if I'm not a grand master after one lesson, Vortex. Let's see you solve Moser's worm problem after two days with my brain._ "Let's just get to work," Jimmy said while marching past Cindy and deftly plucking a strand of hair from her head.

"Gladly," Cindy snapped while rubbing her hair. "But do that again and you'll see why they let me teach Thursday's class."

The shed's door **clicked** open as Jimmy lowered the strand of hair away from the scanner. "Wait, what?"

Cindy scoffed while stepping over the threshold. "Tomorrow you'll have the honor of teaching the five and six-year old class. Hope you're up to the task, Neutron. They're a lot more willing to bite than the people you sparred with today."

Jimmy grit his teeth and flipped on the shed's lights. He hopped on top of what appeared to be a giant wooden spool and tilted an encyclopedia on a nearby shelf. The stool slid a few feet to the right and uncovered a five-foot wide hole.

"Brains before lack of beauty," Jimmy said with a sardonically chivalrous gesture at the lab's entryway.

Jimmy was less than shocked as a scowl spread over Cindy's lips. "Oh ha ha. And last time I slid down that thing I nearly fractured my spine."

"I put a mattress under there," Jimmy impatiently explained.

Cindy rolled her eyes and sat down on the edge of the hole. "You couldn't just use an elevator like a normal person?" Before Jimmy could answer she pushed herself forward and disappeared from sight.

* * *

Cindy was relieved to find that Jimmy had kept his word; a soft mattress cushioned her fall. She rose up to her feet just as Jimmy landed beside her. She followed James through an automatic metal door and entered what she remembered was the lab's prep zone. A trio of red lockers rested to her left, but the rest of the room was empty save for a few switches on the wall.

"Goddard!" Jimmy happily cried out. Dead ahead, Jimmy's mechanical canine lay resting on the floor. The dog lazily lifted its head, cocked its head curiously at Jimmy, and growled wearily.

"It's me, boy," Jimmy sadly explained. "Cindy and I switched bodies, remember?" Goddard considered this for a quick moment before barking happily and rushing towards his master.

"It's already 6:30," Cindy harshly pleaded as Jimmy rubbed his dog's ears. "Can we please get started? My mom wants you back at nine."

"Fine," Jimmy agreed while opening the door to the heart of the lab. He and Goddard led the way, and Cindy followed a few strides behind.

Once Cindy had cleared the threshold, it took everything she had to keep from voicing her amazement. When she'd last been in the lab, the town had been moments away from being crushed by a meteor; she hadn't had exactly had time to savor the sights. Now, without the threat of death and responsibility over saving her classmates looming over her, she could truly consider the magnitude of Jimmy's greatest achievement.

 _Enormous_ , was the one word that immediately sprung to her mind. As Jimmy casually led her across a long catwalk, she glanced at the work floor twenty feet below her. Dozens of partially finished inventions, including a half-constructed rocketship, were strewn around the concrete floor. A conveyor belt was in motion, moving along and automatically assembling the parts of a machine whose function Cindy's couldn't begin to guess. The number of different projects Jimmy was working on was daunting enough, but what truly shocked Cindy was the size of the room.

 _How did he even build this?_ It had taken her a good few seconds to fall down that tube from the lawn; they had to be at least forty feet underground. _How did he carve out hundreds of square feet of earth?_ Cindy kept scanning the area and noticed the chrome walls. _How much time did to take to just put in those walls?_

Cindy turned her attention to Jimmy, who walked so casually towards the door at the end of the catwalk. He wasn't even trying to be cockily aloof; he simply didn't register that this place seemed ridiculously incredible to anyone else. _What kind of a kid can even dream up building something like this, let alone find a way to do it?_

Cindy focused her gaze back on Jimmy as he opened the door at the end of the catwalk and led her into the lab's research room. "Alright, Vortex," he began to explain. "Like I said yesterday, I need to make two 'model minds' on a computer. Then we'll test the Neutron Encephalosynthesizer on them while applying different voltages of electricity."

Cindy nodded while studying the rotating table which could display four separate inventions. All four slots were currently empty. Jimmy led her past a workbench and towards the lab's main computer. "Sounds like a plan, I guess."

Jimmy nodded while taking a seat in front of the monitor. Cindy slowly sidled over and stood with crossed arms as he began typing a string of seemingly random symbols and words at break-neck speed. She watched in confused disbelief for a few seconds before shaking her head. "What the heck is all that?"

"C-language," Jimmy shot back without taking his eyes off the screen. "A basic source code. You don't know it?" Cindy frowned, but Jimmy kept speaking. "You're not doing any good watching me type something you don't understand."

"I already told you," Cindy drew out each word in a vain effort to mitigate her growing frustration, "I'm not letting you mess with my head unless I see how you do it."

Cindy watched Jimmy's pupils dart towards the corners of his eyes and stare at her. "Well it's hard to work with you glaring at me." He took in a deep breath and settled his focus back on the monitor. "Why don't you make yourself useful and create the device that will supply the electricity?"

Cindy couldn't stop herself from pulling back in surprise. "What?"

Jimmy stopped typing and spun his chair towards Cindy. "You know how electricity works, don't you?"

"Duh. Protons and electrons -"

"You don't need to explain it to me," Jimmy tiredly interrupted. "If you know how it works, go make a device that can create and alter it. We'll hook it up to the Encephalosynthesizer once we're both done."

 _Is he out of his mind?_ Cindy couldn't stop that blast of fear from shooting through her brain. The only thing she'd ever invented was a model volcano; how was she supposed to create something that would help transfer their minds?

"I can't, I mean I don't -" Cindy stuttered until Jimmy shook his head in clear disdain.

"This is just like when you led a mutiny on my submarine," Jimmy couldn't hide the irritation in his voice. "And you say **I** escalate things," he muttered under his breath.

"Excuse me?"

"You always act like you're a genius," Jimmy snapped. "You want to take charge and be better than me, but you always chicken out when it counts. You did it on the submarine when that squid attacked us. Carl and Sheen said you did the same thing when that meteorite was heading for Retroville. If you honestly think you're as smart as I am, then prove it and invent something!"

Cindy felt blood flush her cheeks with boiling rage. "Fine! I'll make the stupid thing!"

Jimmy motioned at the nearby workbench. "Good. The tools are over there. Goddard will show you where the raw materials are. The prep room has some books on electricity in the middle locker if you need them."

Cindy stormed towards the bench and plopped on the stool beside it. She took a few deep breaths until her fingers stopped trembling. She stared down and watched their minute fasciculations abruptly cease and closed her eyes tight. _I don't just bow out when things get tough. He's the one who sat crying in a cell on Yolkus; we never even would have gotten out of that alive if it wasn't for me! And I'm the one who got that big brain of his firing again when that stupid meteor was about to squish us!_

Cindy grabbed one of the few stray pieces of paper and a pen off of the edge of the desk. She gripped the pen tight in her right hand, set it to the paper, and got ready to start a schematic of her invention.

Nothing came to her.

 _I don't give up_ , Cindy furiously thought while looking over her shoulder. Jimmy's fingers were still racing over the keyboard. She snapped her gaze back to the blank paper and squeezed the pen tighter. _How was I supposed to stop a meteor?_

Cindy listened to the **clack** ing of Jimmy's keyboard and rubbed her clenched fist against her palm. She thought back to the last time she was in this lab, how it took Jimmy all of ten seconds to understand that his intelligence had been zapped, that a giant meteor was heading towards the town, and for him to come up with a way to stop it.

The keyboard kept on **clack** ing and Goddard hopped up on the other end of the workbench. He stared curiously at her and waited for her to start drawing something.

 _Who wouldn't freeze up when a giant squid is about to snap their submarine in two? How was I supposed to know how his stupid gill gabber worked? I didn't invent it!_ Cindy closed her eyes in frustration and cringed as a painful thought shot through her mind.

 _I've never invented anything._

She fought the truth for a few seconds longer, then dropped the pen in defeat. She'd always tried to best Jimmy in school, to beat him on a single test. But she'd never even managed to do that. She couldn't even **memorize** a single chapter in her textbook better than Jimmy. How could she possibly invent something that would tamper with their minds?

 _Mom was right_ , she thought as the **clack** of the keyboard abruptly ceased. _I'm never going to be as good as_ -

"Look it up," Jimmy's flat voice snapped Cindy out of her trance.

"What?" she quietly asked while spinning around.

Jimmy sighed and rolled his eyes. "Do you think I just automatically knew every detail of every invention I've ever made? That my plans just come to me in my sleep already complete? That a blueprint just pops into my mind like **that**?" he fsinished while snapping his fingers.

Cindy swallowed away some of her disappointment, but her voice still quivered as she said, "How should I know how your stupid big brain works?"

"You know what the machine has to do," Jimmy slowly explained. "Provide different voltages of electricity. So review how a circuit works. Then study other devices' blueprints to see how they adjust the electricity for different power levels, like my shrink ray or something. After that make your own blueprint, then assemble it."

Cindy considered this and set the pencil down. She jumped off her stool and headed back towards the door to go grab some books, but froze at the threshold. "Neutron?" She stared down at the ground and let a hand rest on the wall. "Why are you," she sighed and contemplated leaving the question hanging, but it was too late to pull back. "Why are you helping me?" she nearly whispered.

It took a moment for Jimmy to answer. "You wouldn't have had the chance to freeze up any of those times if I hadn't screwed things up in the first place." Jimmy sighed as Cindy turned to face him. "Like I screwed up," Jimmy motioned at both their bodies, "this."

Cindy waited a long moment before offering, "You never meant to get us into this. You never do."

"Yeah," Jimmy mused, "you told me that once before." Cindy and Jimmy reflexively stared away from each other at the memory of their moment on Yolkus. "But it keeps happening, doesn't it?"

James fell quiet, and Cindy found she didn't have the energy to carry on this conversation either. She opened the door to the catwalk, stepped over the threshold, and let the door slide closed behind her.

* * *

The next two hours flew by in silence for Cindy and Jimmy. As Jimmy's fingers kept dancing over the keyboard, Cindy brushed up on the fundamentals of electrical charges and circuit design. By the time she finished studying the blueprint to Jimmy's shrink ray, her head was throbbing and her eyes ached.

"I need a break," she said at last.

The **clack** of the keyboard instantly ceased. "Me too," Jimmy readily agreed, much to Cindy's relief. He hopped off his chair and headed towards to the opposite corner of the research room. A small sofa sat across from a mini-fridge, and Jimmy pulled two cold cans of Purple Flurp out.

"Thanks," Cindy said while accepting a can and taking a seat on the couch. Jimmy sat on the opposite end, and they both opened their drinks at the same time.

Jimmy took a huge sip and then asked, "So, what did you do before I came over?"

Cindy gave a quick chuckle and shook her head. "I was bored out of my mind. Libby couldn't hang out and I didn't have tai-chi. I just did my homework and watched TV."

"Was dinner okay with my parents?" Jimmy probed.

"I was quiet," Cindy admitted. "I don't think they suspect anything."

Jimmy nodded. "How are they?"

"They're fine, Neutron," Cindy assured him as gently as she could.

"Your parents were too," Jimmy shot back after a moment. Cindy stayed silent, and Jimmy eventually asked, "So does Libby know we switched bodies?"

That brought a smile to Cindy's face. "I told her after school today; there's no point trying to hide it any longer. She is **so** mad at you," Cindy said with a giant grin.

"Great," Jimmy mumbled.

"She nearly punched me just because I reminded her of you," Cindy went on. Jimmy stayed quiet, so Cindy lowered her tone and asked, "Do Carl and Sheen know?"

Jimmy nodded and a tiny grin spread over his lips. "Yeah, I told them too. But they mostly just wanted to know if I could still pee standing up. Or in the shower."

A tortuously awkward silence filled the lab.

"Anyway," Cindy cautiously ventured, "I, uh, can't believe your parents just let you do your own thing after school. You really never have…anything to do?"

Jimmy scoffed and motioned around the lab. "I'm pretty self-motivated." He shook his head and added, "I can't believe your mom is so intense. An hour of independent study plus either piano or tai-chi every night? That's ludicrous!"

"Tell me about it," Cindy angrily agreed.

"I thought you liked it, though," Jimmy curiously asked.

"I like piano and tai-chi," Cindy explained. "I just hate being forced to do them. She just makes me it because she's mad."

"Mad at what?" Jimmy probed.

Cindy stared down at the floor and clenched her soda tighter. "Just forget it, Neutron," she warned him. Jimmy fell quiet, and Cindy quickly finished her soda. "You should be getting back. It's almost nine."

"Alright," Jimmy agreed. He finished his own drink and tossed the can into a nearby recycling bin. "I'm almost done the first model mind. They'll definitely be done by Friday."

Cindy stared at the workbench; there was still barely a scribble on her scrap of paper. "I'm going to keep working on my schematic."

Jimmy hesitated, but ultimately said, "You can't stay in the lab without me." Cindy clenched her hands tight as Jimmy went on, "That was part of the -"

"I remember our deal!" Cindy snapped. She let out a deep breath and remembered how Jimmy had stuck to his end of the bargain. "I'll go."

Jimmy stared at her blank piece of paper, thought for a long moment, and ran his tongue over his lips. "You can take the blueprints back to my house if you want. And…the shrink ray too. If you want to actually see how it's put together."

Cindy cast a skeptical glance at James. "Really?"

Jimmy slowly nodded. "Yeah. Just don't mess around with it too much, okay? And put the casing back on after you look at it."

Cindy nodded and scooped her paper, pen, and the blueprint off the workbench. "Thanks."

Jimmy led the way out of the research room. "Boy," he said to Goddard, "can you grab the shrink ray?"

"Bark bark!" Goddard happily replied before jumping over the catwalk and using his ears to propel him towards a pile of inventions. He was back in a flash with the shrink ray clenched in his jaws. Cindy grabbed the device without a word and followed Jimmy silently across the catwalk. Once they all reached tube the children had slid down through, Jimmy pushed a button on the wall beside it. A sudden tug of vicious wind yanked them off their feet, and in seconds they sat collapsed on the dewy grass of the Neutron's lawn.

"An elevator," Cindy grumbled while rising up and dusting the dirt off her jeans. "That's all I'm saying."

Jimmy sighed but gave a quick nod while mirroring her actions. "Noted…I suppose."

The children stared at each other, illuminated only by the moonlight high above. "Well, until tomorrow, then," Jimmy offered.

"Until tomorrow," Cindy cordially agreed. She and Goddard headed towards the Neutron's back door as Jimmy made his way across the street. She stopped after a few seconds before loudly asking, "Neutron?"

Jimmy stopped in his tracks and turned back to face her. "Yeah?"

"Goodnight."

Jimmy considered the remark a second longer than necessary before offering her a nod. "Goodnight, Vortex."


	3. Peace

Cindy Vortex sat at Jimmy Neutron's desk and squinted her eyes against the bright sunlight pouring through the window above her. Goddard lay quietly at her feet, and Cindy struggled to split her attention between the phone in her left hand and the half-finished circuit diagram before her.

"I miss you too, Libs," Cindy easily admitted while erasing a mistakenly drawn inductor symbol.

"I just wish we could hang out," Libby's voice carried through the earpiece. "But I guess we don't need to draw any more suspicion your way."

Cindy sighed and quickly scribbled a few zigzags which stood for a resistor. "The kids at school really think something's up?"

Libby huffed in amusement. "Ike is convinced there's some major conspiracy. He thinks you guys might have been replaced by aliens."

"Are you serious?" Cindy sincerely asked.

"I'm not sure," Libby chirped back. "He might just be jealous the focus isn't on him for once."

A knock at the bedroom door made Cindy's back stiffen. "I think I better call you back, uh…Carl."

"Parents?"

"Yep," Cindy hastily agreed. "Talk later." Cindy hung up the phone and said, "Come in."

Mrs. Neutron opened the door a crack and peeked her head in. "Honey, you have some visitors."

"It's not Cindy already, is it?" Cindy asked before slamming a hand against her forehead. _Why would I say that?_

Mrs. Neutron smiled and shook her head. "Carl and Sheen. And you don't have to cringe; I saw you working with her last night." Cindy sighed and Mrs. Neutron asked, "What's the story behind that?"

Cindy hesitated before motioning at her circuit diagram. "I just…wanted some help on this new invention."

Mrs. Neutron opened the door and sat on the foot of her son's bed. "So you finally listened to your mother?"

Cindy cocked her head in confusion. "Huh?"

"How long have I been saying you should ask that girl to look over your inventions?" Cindy stared at Mrs. Neutron in disbelief, so she simply went on, "You know your father and I are always proud of you. But your projects have a habit of…"

Mrs. Neutron's voice trailed off, so Cindy chimed in, "Blowing up? Destroying the town? Proving a major annoyance to its inhabitants' lives?"

"You don't need to be quite so hard on yourself," Mrs. Neutron rebutted, "but yes, they do all of those things. You're always complaining how smart Cindy is. I'm just glad you finally agreed it's more useful to work with her than fight against her."

Cindy didn't have time to process this revelation; Mrs. Neutron rose from the bed and headed back towards the hallway. "You probably shouldn't keep the boys waiting. We'll talk later, honey."

Cindy slowly nodded as she pondered what James' mother had revealed. _Jimmy complains about how smart I am?_ Then she angrily shook that thought aside and mumbled, "And those idiots are downstairs?"

Cindy stormed out of the bedroom and followed Mrs. Neutron towards the front door. Carl and Sheen were indeed waiting on the front porch, so Cindy made her way outside and barely kept from slamming the door behind her.

"Jimmy!" Sheen eagerly screamed.

"I know that you know I'm not Neutron!" Cindy quietly seethed. "Or are you two dweebs honestly so stupid that you forgot?"

"That was uncalled for," Carl quietly moaned.

"No it wasn't!" Cindy snapped back. She drew in a deep breath and tiredly asked, "Why are you here?"

"We're so bored," Sheen immediately lamented. "We know you're not the **real** Jimmy, but we can't find him anywhere!"

"We figured maybe you'd want to hang out with us instead," Carl admitted. "We can even call you Cindy if you want."

"Of course I want that. That's my name!" Cindy nearly screamed. "And Neutron's across town at the dojo!"

"The mojo?" Sheen asked.

"No, the jojo, Sheen!" Carl exasperatedly corrected.

"What the heck does an evil monkey have to do with this?" Sheen desperately cried.

Cindy slammed a palm against her head and swore she felt the beginnings of a brain aneurysm. "What are you idiots even talking about?"

Sheen rolled his eyes and asked, "If Jimmy's at the Mojo Dojo, can we go hang out with him there?"

"No, he's teaching a class of kindergarteners for me!" Cindy snapped.

Carl and Sheen shared a curious glance. "Jimmy's teaching tai-chi? To little kids?" Sheen wondered.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Carl timidly offered.

* * *

Across town, the sunlight filtering through the dojo's screen windows brought no good cheer. It simply illuminated a scene of terror: Jimmy struggled to shove away two screaming six year-old girls as two younger boys clamped their jaws into his ankles. He let out a pained cry and desperately screamed, "This isn't even tai-chi!" as the tiny girls overwhelmed him and sent him tumbling to the floor.

* * *

"I'm sure he's fine," Cindy tiredly assured them. "And I'm not hanging out with you dunder-heads," Cindy finally shot Carl and Sheen down. "Can't you two just entertain yourselves for a few more days?"

"No," Carl immediately answered.

"We have no lives," Sheen agreed.

"Look," Cindy clenched her jaw tight and spat out each word, "I need to finish the schematic of an invention that will help Neutron and I get our bodies back. The sooner you let me do that, the sooner you get your friend back. Okay?"

"Wait," Sheen skeptically began while rubbing his and Carl's chins, "Jimmy is letting you invent the mind-switcher?"

"I'm working on the power supply for it," Cindy clarified. "Is that okay with you?"

"Jim never lets anyone help make his inventions," Carl answered.

"He lets us test them, though," Sheen chimed in. "On ourselves."

"Well he asked me to help," Cindy told them.

"Why?" Carl asked.

"Because," Cindy hesitated and realized she didn't have a good answer. "Because I said so!" she screamed before retreating back inside the house and slamming the door shut.

Mrs. Neutron appeared from the kitchen and asked, "Is everything okay?"

Cindy took a few deep breaths and shook her head. The idea that Jimmy talked about her to his mother, not knowing why Jimmy trusted her with this invention, having to spend more time in a body that wasn't hers and dealing with Carl and Sheen; none of these things were okay. She knew she couldn't voice any of these things to Jimmy's mother, so she simply lied.

"Yeah. Everything's fine."

* * *

Jimmy couldn't hide the limp in his right leg as he crossed the street towards his lab. He saw Cindy waiting for him, but she wasn't impatiently taping her foot like the day before. Tonight she sat on the grass with Goddard next to her. His eyes were shining a bright light onto the paper resting against Cindy's legs; he recognized it as the blueprint for her machine. She was scribbing on it with her right hand and rubbing Goddard's head with her left.

Jimmy couldn't stop his lips from coalescing into a tiny grin. "Vortex?" he quietly asked.

Cindy immediately perked her head up and offered him a curt nod. "Neutron," she tiredly offered. She watched him take a few steps towards her and cocked her head in confusion. "Are you limping?"

Jimmy sighed and leaned against the shed on the opposite side of the door. "Yeah. You really weren't joking about those kids biting."

Cindy managed a light chuckle. "Sure wasn't." She rose to her feet and Goddard's flashlight eyes flicked off. "Ready to work?"

"Always," Jimmy agreed as Cindy yanked a strand of hair from her scalp and held it to the scanner. She yanked a strand of hair from her scalp and held it to the scanner. It **click** ed unlocked, and Jimmy swung the door open.

"I'll definitely finish the first model mind tonight," Jimmy explained while pulling on the encyclopedia to reveal the lab's entrance. "I can probably make some headway on the second one too."

Cindy nodded while saying, "My schematic's almost done."

Jimmy had been about to slide down the hole in the floor, but halted at the last second. "Really?" Cindy quickly nodded once more, so Jimmy held out a hand. "Let me see."

"Not until it's done," Cindy said while clenching the blueprint tighter.

Jimmy hesitated a moment, but then said, "Fair enough," and slid down the hole. He and Cindy landed with seconds of each other and made their way through the lab to the prep room. "Well, as usual, we've got a late start," Jimmy noted. "Let's make our two and a half hours count. You have what you need?"

Cindy laid out the shrink ray, its blueprint, her circuit diagram, and tools on the workbench. "Yeah."

"Let me know when you're done, then," Jimmy instructed while settling in behind the main monitor and getting to work.

A half hour passed quietly. The only sounds were the **clack** of Jimmy's keyboard, the scraping of Cindy's pencil on paper, and the occasional groan from Jimmy as his fresh bruises occasionally flared in pain. He caught Cindy staring at him with growing concern, but she didn't speak a word until she set down her pencil and triumphantly said, "Done."

Jimmy spun his chair around and watched Cindy stroll towards him. She thrust the blueprint into his grasp, and he gave it a quick look over. "It looks good."

Cindy couldn't stop from raising an eyebrow. "It…does?"

Jimmy nodded. "Yep. Goddard showed you where the raw materials were yesterday, right?" It was Cindy's turn to nod, so Jimmy casually went on, "you might as well start construction, then."

Cindy gulped and Jimmy stared her in the eyes. It was a clear sign of anxiety, but she was doing a much better job of hiding it than yesterday.

"I can build it," Cindy assured him.

"Then do it," Jimmy gently instructed.

Cindy seemed to measure his tone, then quickly spun around and headed for the prep room's exit. Jimmy watched her take a few steps before turning back to his monitor. The door had just slid open when he heard Cindy quietly ask, "Why do you want me to?"

Jimmy's eyes darted towards her. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean." Cindy waited a long moment and then quietly clarified her question. "If you think I'm just someone who pretends to be as smart as you, who can't handle the pressure of anything," Cindy spread out her arms and asked, "why would you trust me to make this thing?"

Jimmy's gaze fell to the ground at the question he'd been worried was coming. Which answer did Vortex want; there were many to choose from. Did she want to hear that he needed her occupied so she wouldn't simply glare at him while he worked? That he was tired and didn't want to waste his energy building such a comparatively simple machine? That deep down he was hoping she would fail and realize his true greatness? Or that even deeper down he thought she would succeed and wanted to be proven right?

All those answers held some truth to them, but he had no idea which mattered most. Beside's, he'd never bared his soul to Cindy before. There was no reason to start now. Especially when Vortex had a question of his own she needed to answer.

"If you think that all my inventions do is fail and ruin this town," Jimmy asked, "why would you trust me to work on this at all?"

Green and blue eyes locked together, staring each other down and trying to decipher the myriad of thoughts behind them. At long last, Cindy motioned at the monitor in front of Jimmy.

"Did you finish the first model mind?"

Jimmy swiveled his chair and typed on the keyboard for a few more seconds. He felt Cindy's eyes studying him until he hit one final key with a definitive **clack!** "Now I did."

Cindy nodded and seemed to weigh her next words carefully. "Then do you want to take a break?"

Truth be told, Jimmy had just been getting into the right frame of mind for work. But he sensed that whatever was brewing between him and Cindy couldn't be put off, so he said, "I'll grab the Flurp."

* * *

Cindy led the way outside of the lab; both had agreed a breath of fresh air would do them good. The sun had long since set, and the full moon that had been out the night before was covered by a thick blanket of clouds. Only a few twinkling stars illuminated the dark lawn, and both Cindy and Jimmy stepped carefully over the pristinely mowed grass.

Cindy was still upset at herself for asking Jimmy why he had trusted her. It was the kind of topic neither had ever broached. _Except for when we thought we might die_ , she reminded herself. Cindy rubbed her right hand against her skinny left arm, felt the hair and lack of muscle that proved she was still trapped in an alien vessel. _I guess things have to be really screwed up for us to really talk._

Cindy led the way to the tall tree directly behind the shed and took a seat on the barren dirt below. Jimmy settled down a few feet away and handed her a can of soda which she readily accepted. They both popped their tabs at the same time and leaned back against the ragged bark.

Cindy watched Jimmy lift the soda to his lips and cringe just before contact. His free hand shot to his ribs, and Cindy realized he really hadn't been playing up his injuries. "You didn't break anything, did you?"

Jimmy slowly shook his head. "Just bruises."

Cindy tapped her fingers again the soda and said, "Thanks, Neutron."

"For what?"

Cindy bit her lip and quietly said, "I know you're getting the raw end of this deal." Jimmy fell silent, and Cindy turned to see it was clear that he didn't understand. "I know it's not easy being me."

"I really do hate these pants," Jimmy immediately admitted. Cindy took a second to measure his tone and realized he was being completely serious. That was enough to make her burst out laughing. Jimmy narrowed his eyes and needlessly added, "I was being serious."

"I'm sorry," Cindy said while stifling one last chuckle.

Jimmy glared at her for a long moment, sighed, and then went on. "I was trying to say that it hasn't been perfect. But it's not like I've," Jimmy shrugged, "hated it or anything."

"Really?"

Jimmy lifted his hands and struggled to say, "Don't get me wrong, I want my body back. This isn't…natural."

"Yeah, no argument there."

"But what I'm saying," Jimmy tried to explain, "is that I don't have the raw end." James danced his own fingers against his soda can before asking, "Why would you think that?" Cindy stayed quiet, so Jimmy asked in a near whisper, "Vortex...are you happy?"

Cindy felt like the question should have infuriated her, but the shocking sincerity in Jimmy's tone took away that option. So after a moment she managed to quietly ask, "Are you?"

Jimmy fell silent, and they both took a long sip from their drinks. After a while, Jimmy said, "We really need to start answering each other's questions."

Cindy considered this and nodded. "It's funny," she said with a dry smile. "This all started because you tried to read my thoughts. Then we switched bodies. But we still can't tell what's in each other's heads."

"It is ironic," Jimmy agreed.

 _Is this what we're destined to do?_ Cindy wondered. _Keep asking questions and never get answers? Live each other's lives but never understand them? Always stay in the dark?_ She stared up at the night sky, looked around the starlit lawn, and realized just how beautiful things could be with the tiniest light to see by.

Cindy took one more sip of her soda, set it down, took a deep breath, and swiveled towards Jimmy. "What if, just this once, we were honest with each other? Just answered what we each ask?"

Jimmy glanced down at the ground and quietly answered, "It would depend on the question."

There was only question Jimmy could ask that Cindy would never answer; one query that she herself had yet to sort out. She'd never even allowed herself to truly consider it. Jimmy looked up into her eyes, and Cindy wondered if the same thought bothered him on sleepless nights.

"Do you want to try?" she offered.

Jimmy sighed. "Brains before lack of beauty."

Cindy narrowed her eyes but kept from scowling; there was no malice in James' tone. She drew in a calming breath and said, "Your mom and I talked today. She said you complained I was too smart." The way Jimmy's eyes bugged out would have served as answer enough, but she pressed on. "Is that true?"

It seemed like minutes passed as Jimmy silently sat there. Cindy was just about to angrily tell him to forget the whole thing when he answered. "I never said you were…smart. Not exactly," he explained. "Just that you compete with me a lot and," he shrugged before finishing, "sometimes I worry you might win."

"You do?"

"Just a couple times," Jimmy clarified. "Like on history presentations. I'm not as…creative as you. I guess." Cindy didn't have any time to ponder this answer; Jimmy immediately swallowed hard and asked, "I want to know what I asked in the lab. Why did you trust me to switch our minds back if all I ever do is screw things up?"

Cindy felt this question was harder to answer than Jimmy's, but then remembered she'd already answered it once before. _It always comes back to that cell._ "Because we both know I don't think you're just a failure."

Cindy could feel her cheeks warming in the cool night air. "My turn. If you really think I'm a failure -"

"I never said you were a failure," Jimmy interrupted. "I just said you get nervous."

"But if you think that, that I can't handle pressure, then why trust me to make the power source?"

Jimmy shook his head and let out a tired sigh. "Obviously I knew you could do it," he admitted. "When you have to, you can do anything. Even if it takes you a minute to realize it."

Cindy leaned back against the tree and Jimmy did the same. As Cindy considered their conversation, she realized their revelations were almost trivial. _Jimmy admits I'm not stupid. I admit he's not a complete failure. Jimmy basically admits I'm not stupid again._ So why did it feel like each answer was a wrecking ball smashing into the wall between them?

"One last thing," Jimmy interrupted her throughts. Cindy faced him, and he asked, "Why do you think your mom's mad?"

Cindy clenched both hands into fists and closed her eyes.

"Do you think she's mad at **you**?"

"We're done." Cindy rose to her feet, but Jimmy spoke before she could take a single step.

"You said we'd be honest."

"We were," she admitted, "and now that's over."

Jimmy stood up as well and followed Cindy as she stormed back to the shed. "Vortex, I'm living in your house. I deserve to know why your mom's mad. I'm the one who has to deal with her right now. It," he paused and seemed to grasp at the right words, "affects me."

Cindy froze in place and scoffed. "Wrong as usual. It would never affect **you.** "

"What are you talking about?"

Cindy threw her hands up in the air and snapped, "It's obvious, Nerdtron. You already know the answer if you asked if she's mad at me." Cindy bit her lip and ran a hand through her brown hair. "She hates that I'm not you, okay?"

Cindy felt James' eyes bore onto her as she dropped her gaze to the ground. "She wants me to be the best and I never will be. I'm never going to build a lab, I'm not going to make a time machine before I turn 13, and I can't design a rocketship. I'm not you."

The two children stood quietly in the starlight until Jimmy shook his head. "That's not what she thinks."

"How would you know?" Cindy snapped back. "You listen to her thoughts too?" Jimmy frowned as Cindy kept going. "She used to push me so hard because she wanted me to be great. But ever since you got here and she realized I won't be number one? She's just doing it to spite me."

"Did she ever say that?"

"Do you think she had to?"

James shook his head. "That's not the reason she pushes you."

"Then why, Big Brain?"

"Because she's proud of you, Vortex," Jimmy desperately explained.

Cindy shook her head in disbelief. "Proud? **Your** mom's proud. Do you know how I can tell? Because she just told me today. She actually said it!" Cindy jabbed a furious finger into Jimmy's chest. "Did my mom say that to you this week? Or ever say it to me?"

Jimmy clenched one hand into a fist and stepped back from Cindy. "Until Yolkus, until tonight, when did you ever tell me anything except that I was a big-headed jerk and a failure?" Cindy tilted her head as she tried to understand. "But did you actually think that right until you said I wasn't?"

"That was different," Cindy tried to argue, but Jimmy didn't listen.

"No it wasn't. People don't just say what they feel, Vortex."

"Maybe not kids, maybe not us," Cindy countered. "But she's my mom. She should tell me," Cindy ran a hand over her burning eyes, "how she feels."

"She should," Jimmy agreed. "And she didn't. But she's not pushing you because she hates you." Jimmy took a deep breath and hurried to explain his thoughts before Cindy stopped him. "We live in a small town, Vortex. Your mom can't send you to some elite academy or even a private school. Lindbergh Elementary is all we've got, and she knows it's not good enough for you. She wants to push you to help you reach your potential. Maybe she thought you'd reached it before, and yeah, maybe she realized you weren't all the way there when I moved here. But she's just trying to help you be the best you can be."

Cindy listened to Jimmy's words, to how desperately he was trying to say them. _You can't know you're right_ , she thought. But despite the fact that she breaking down in front of him, or maybe because she was breaking down and he was still standing there, she was able admit that she truly believed he meant them.

"You can't be sure of that," Cindy quietly argued.

Jimmy slowly started walking back to their tree, and Cindy trudged behind him. They both at on the grass and leaned against the sturdy trunk. "I guess I can't," Jimmy admitted. "But like you said, I know what pride is. And I really do believe I see it in your mom."

Cindy stayed quiet, and Jimmy picked his soda back up. Cindy mirrored his action, and Jimmy finished his speech. "Maybe I am wrong. It's been known to happen on rare occasions." Cindy faced Jimmy and shook her head; she couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not. "But," he paused and seemed to weigh his next words heavily, "if it means anything…"

Jimmy's voice trailed off, and Cindy found it ludicrous that he would struggle at the very end of all this to give voice to his thoughts. "We still answering questions?" Jimmy faced her and slowly nodded. "What were you going to say?"

James took a deep breath, let out a heavy sigh, and offered her a tiny smile. "I'm proud of you."

As Cindy smiled back, the clearest epiphany she'd ever had shot through her mind like a bullet. In its wake was laid not destruction, but pure serenity. She still wasn't sure if she could ever believe what Jimmy had said about her mother.

But for the first time, she felt nothing but utter peace between her and Jimmy.


	4. Imprisoned

It was Friday afternoon and Cindy was utterly relieved as she approached her house's doorstep. This insane week was drawing to a close, as was her time being stuck in Neutron's body. Her power device and Jimmy's second model mind were nearly complete. She doubted she'd have to spend another moment in class pretending to be someone she wasn't. With these comforting thoughts in mind, Cindy readily knocked at her own door and waited for Neutron to answer.

Her heart sank when her mother opened it instead. Anger and longing swirled together and nipped at the breath in her lungs. After what she and Jimmy had talked about last night, she had no idea how to start sorting out her feelings for the woman before her. _Get yourself back to normal first. Then figure this out._

Mrs. Vortex stared at who she thought was Jimmy Neutron for a long, intimidating moment. Cindy faltered at first, but then she stared back with equal strength. "Can I help you?" Cindy's mother asked at last.

Cindy deeply considered the question; she had no idea how Jimmy Neutron should interact with her mom. After a few desperate seconds of consideration, she decided for a simple approach. "I'm here to see Cindy."

"What for?" Mrs. Vortex asked while crossing her arms.

"I need her help with an invention."

Mrs. Vortex rose an eyebrow and asked, "You do?"

 _Is that so hard to believe?_ Cindy sadly thought. She forced her features to stay steady and added, "Yeah. I do."

Mother and daughter stared each other down until Mrs. Vortex slowly smiled. "Well, I'm not surprised. You've probably heard," she paused and motioned behind her, and Cindy realized she could hear a piano far in the background, "but Cynthia's so devoted to her work that she's actually practicing the piano in her spare time."

Cindy had never heard her mother talk this way about her. The corner of her lip threatened to twitch its way into a smile, but then she realized how strange it was that Jimmy was practicing piano when he didn't have to. "She is?"

"She is," Mrs. Vortex confidently answered. She stared at the boy before her for a few seconds longer before sighing. "You can come in."

Cindy nodded and stepped foot into her house for the first time since Tuesday morning. Her mother returned to the parlor and scooped a magazine off the couch's armrest. Cindy found herself traveling down the main hallway, following the growing sounds of a perfect melody. Cindy froze as a wrong key was abruptly played. A quiet groan of frustration reached her, and then the piece started over. It began again as beautiful as it was before.

 _ **Duuhhhn da duhn da duhn da duhn doe duhn…doe da duhn, doe da duhn…da dun dun da dun da dun da dun, doe da dun, doe da dun.**_

A quick pause hung in the air, and Cindy reached the threshold to her family's piano room. She caught Jimmy taking a quick breath, then watched his fingers resume darting over the keys. Beethoven's **Für Elise** rang out in perfect concert, and Cindy's eyes widened as the melody suddenly became more cheerful. Jimmy's fingers began to dance about faster, marking each note with perfect timing and grace. A small smile spread across his lips as his back straightened, then he seemed to notice her out of the corner of his eye. His right hand hovered over the D-sharp key and he turned to face her.

Both children stayed silent until Cindy shook her head in gloomy disbelief. _He really can do anything._ "You can play that after two lessons?"

Jimmy studied her for a seconds longer before shaking his head. "I memorized the way Ms. Nelson's fingers moved, but I would never be able to actually play it if it wasn't for your muscle memory." Jimmy rose from the piano bench and quietly added, "You must be really good."

Cindy glanced down at the ground and wondered if any of that wall still stood between them. "Do you want to get to work?"

"Not much left to do," Jimmy told her while leading the way out of the Vortex residence. "So we might as well get it done."

* * *

It only took James a few moments in his lab to finish his second model mind. He'd spent the next half hour watching and helping Cindy construct the power source for the Neutro-Encephalosynthesizer. He'd been pleasantly surprised when she'd only tossed a single sarcastic remark his way at the offer to aid her; he hadn't even been convinced that barb was entirely mean-spirited.

He handed Cindy a Phillips screwdriver and watched Cindy finish closing the device's casing. Once done, she slammed the screwdriver onto the workbench, ran a hand over her grimy forehead, and let out a triumphant, "Done."

"Good work," Jimmy offered while scooping up the simple square device and carrying it over to the giant monitor. Cindy fell in step beside him, and they both took a moment to stare up at the screen. It was divided into two equal halves, each a different color and filled with incredibly complex and rapidly scrolling source code.

"So," Cindy's voice rang out as Jimmy hooked the power source to the encephalosynthesizer, "what do we do now?"

"We wait," Jimmy answered while plugging the encephalosynthesizer into the computer. He typed a few commands on his keyboard, Cindy's device began to **hum** loudly, and the lines of code onscreen stopped scrolling. "The computer will run thousands of transfers and see which voltage is the safest. There's nothing left for us to do."

Cindy stared at the watch on her wrist and huffed in amusement. "It's barely five o'clock. There's still light out."

Jimmy smiled back; Cindy's mother thankfully didn't enforce an hour of independent study on Fridays. For once he didn't have to rush back to Cindy's house after being done in the lab. He led the way towards the catwalk and hung his arms over the railing after leaving the research room behind. His hover car rested directly below and caught his eye.

"I haven't used that thing all week," Jimmy wistfully noted while pointing at the vehicle. "Not a single crazy adventure with Carl or Sheen."

"Nothing blew up in town," Cindy sarcastically began, "no sentient pants waged war, and the timeline's still safe. It has been an odd week."

Jimmy let out a mildly irritated huff and started climbing down the ladder attached to the catwalk. Cindy followed him down and he said, "I'm going to take it for a quick ride."

Jimmy had only managed a few steps towards the device when Cindy asked, "Won't that be suspicious?" Jimmy froze as she clarified, "Cindy riding Neutron's hover car around town?"

James sighed and hung his head. "I guess I can wait one more day."

Cindy crossed her arms and flipped over one palm. "I mean…it might be less suspicious if I was with you."

Jimmy considered the offer for only a moment. "Mind grabbing the Flurp?"

* * *

"So where are we going?" Cindy asked as Jimmy led the hover car down Main Street.

Jimmy stared out at the setting sun and picked up the pace. _View's never as good when it's dark._ "Retroville Lake." Jimmy realized he was wasting time and abruptly lifted the hover car much higher off the road, earning him a few nasty **honks** from agitated drivers. He picked up the vehicle's speed and sped towards the town's outskirts.

"Why there?" Cindy asked while staring down at the distant people below.

"I go there to think sometimes," Jimmy admitted.

"What about?"

"Just...inventions and stuff."

They crossed the distance in a few quiet minutes, and Jimmy parked the hover car fifty feet above the center of the massive body of water. Jimmy exited the pilot's chair and settled in across from Cindy in the passenger section of the craft. She tossed him a soda, and they popped their tabs while watching the sun's midpoint disappear below the horizon.

"Did I tell you," Cindy began after sipping her drink, "that Llama-Lover and Ultrafreak showed up at your house yesterday?"

Jimmy lowered the soda from his lips before he could parch his thirst. "They did?"

Cindy nodded and flatly said, "They are scarily dependent on you."

Jimmy smiled and contemplated how much he missed his friends. "It's not their fault," he suavely answered. "Life can get pretty boring without the Jimster around."

Cindy rolled her eyes. "We all survived just fine before you got here." Things fell quiet aboard the hover car, and Cindy cleared her throat. "So, Neutron. Can I still ask you something?"

Jimmy hesitated a moment before saying, "Sure."

Cindy nodded and pushed back against the inflatable wall to get comfortable. "Why do you hang with those geeks?"

Jimmy cocked his head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Come on," Cindy began. "You're the smartest kind in Retroville," she admitted. "Your idea of fun is building a rocket and travelling into space. Why do you hang out with two morons who can barely add two and two?"

Jimmy narrowed his eyes. "They're not morons, Vortex."

"I'm not trying to be mean," she lied, "but yeah, they are."

Jimmy sighed and prepared to ask, _Well why do you hang out with Libby?_ Then he remembered that they were trying to actually answer each other's questions. He bit his lip and wondered how much he was willing to reveal. He thought back to the night before, how completely Cindy had opened up to him. _But it wasn't exactly of her own accord. I think she was having a meltdown._

In a voice so tranquil it shocked James, Cindy asked, "Neutron?"

Her tone convinced him, so he squeezed the soda can tight and thought back to third grade. "We didn't know each other in third grade, right?"

"Not really. I had Ms. Larson; you were in Mr. Andrew's class."

Jimmy nodded. "Well that was when I moved here. I know you think I'm a show-offy jerk now," Jimmy hesitated and stared at the ground, "and I'd be willing to debate you on that. But back then," Jimmy set the soda can down and wrung his hands together, "you'd have been right to say it."

"What do you mean?"

"Before I moved to Retroville, I never really…" Jimmy let his voice trail off.

"Never what?"

Jimmy sighed. "I never really had a friend."

Both children sat quietly as they pondered this admission. After a few seconds, Cindy asked, "Like…at all?"

"No," Jimmy flatly answered. "I didn't want one," he said with a shameful huff. "I didn't think anyone could match my intelligence; I assumed I was simply better than everyone. That I was meant to be alone."

"I thought you still thought those things," Cindy uneasily joked. "At least the first two."

Cindy's words cut Jimmy deeper than either had expected. Shame at who he had once been bubbled and boiled its way to the surface, searing everything inside him. "You don't think that," he quietly asked, "do you?"

It was clear to him that his tone frightened Cindy. She immediately shook her head. "No."

"Did you though?" Jimmy asked. "Before this week?" Cindy stayed quiet; that was all the answer Jimmy needed. He couldn't handle Cindy's gaze, so he turned around and stared out at the churning waves below.

"What I'm trying to say," Jimmy quietly went on, "is that back then, before we even met…I thought I wanted to be alone. When Mr. Andrews introduced me to the class, the first people I really noticed were Carl and Sheen. I thought," he closed his eyes and felt complete and utter disgust. "My first thoughts were that Carl's weight indicated a lack of self-control and his clear obsession with llamas was a sign of a severe mental disorder. Then I saw Sheen and thought, 'this is the biggest failure I have ever seen.'"

Cindy stayed quiet as Jimmy focused on counting a school of fish just below the water's surface. "But for some reason, they kept asking me to play with them at recess and sit with them at lunch. After a couple days of, I did; I figured I could use them as test subjects for my inventions."

"Jeez," Cindy whispered in shock.

Jimmy cringed at that. "But then, after a few more days, I realized that I was actually enjoying not spending every second in my lab. That maybe it wasn't healthy to be so isolated. That maybe the reason I'd been so hesitant to open up to people was," Jimmy swallowed nervously, "because I was afraid I wasn't good enough for them."

Cindy's quiet voice rang out behind him. "Why wouldn't you be good enough?"

"Because no one could understand me," Jimmy said with a sorrowful chuckle. "Because I'd rather spend all day in a lab than playing outside. Because I'm the shortest kid in class. Because," Jimmy swallowed hard and looked into Cindy's blue eyes. "Because I was broken, Vortex."

* * *

Cindy stared at James in disbelief. She'd caught glimpses of the giant-headed boy with strange hair on the playground in third grade, but she'd never known him. When they'd truly met the first day of fourth grade, he'd seemed like any other nerdy kid. She had no idea he had ever felt anything but whole.

The sun clipped its way past the horizon as Cindy wondered if this was how Jimmy had felt the night before, listening to her baring her soul. Had he been frightened of hearing what was beneath his rival's surface? Of truly realizing that she was so much more than he had ever made her out to be? That there was more to her than practical jokes and cold insults?

 _No_ , she realized. _He wasn't scared. He tried to help._ She kept her eyes drilled into James' and silently admitted, _He did help._ Cindy ran a tongue over her dry lips and crossed the hover car. She took a seat beside Jimmy, and they both stared over its edge at the lake below.

"I did think you were a show-offy jerk until last week," Cindy admitted. "But I still knew you cared about Carl and Sheen. That you loved your parents. And I guess even before Yolkus..."

 _It always comes back to that cell._

"I knew that you'd have my back if the chips were ever down. I never thought you were broken."

* * *

Jimmy pondered Cindy's words. He didn't feel like that lonely child he'd been two years before, but there were still cold remnants from that time inside him. Pieces of that person he used to be always lay beneath the surface, threatening to break free. He knew he could be blind to the consequences of his actions, that he could be selfish. There was no better evidence of this than the fact that his last invention had resulted in him being stuck in Cindy's body.

 _Or rather...that I got her stuck in mine._

"Vortex," he whispered, "I know I can still be a jerk. But," he waited a long moment, and as he assumed Cindy had realized the night before, he recognized that there was no point in holding anything else back. "Am I still broken?"

Jimmy faced Cindy and watched her ponder the question. Darkness descended over them as the sun fully disappeared, and an ocean of stars twinkled into existence trillions of miles above. To James, they reminded him of fireflies flittering high up in the moonlight; sparkles of pure beauty that were worth chasing but could never be caught.

At last, Cindy asked, "Am I?" She immediately let out a hollow chuckle and followed it with, "Sorry. I know we're trying to answer each other's questions now."

She considered Jimmy's query for a few more seconds before slowly nodding. "I think we're all broken," she finally admitted. "You and me, my mom, Carl and Sheen, even Libby in her own ways. We're all screwed up and it'll be always there."

Jimmy cringed at Cindy's words as he felt the tendrils of who he once was twist around inside him.

"But nothing's perfect," Cindy slowly went on as as she struggled to form the right words. "And no one's pure. But…I think you and I are better than we used to be. And we can keep trying." She nodded to herself and looked into Jimmy's green eyes. "I think that's enough."

Jimmy stayed quiet but turned back around. He glanced at Cindy as she formed one last thought and gave it life.

"I can't change who you were," she quietly offered. "But I wouldn't change who you are."

Jimmy wiped an arm over his glistening eyes and felt another quick pang of shame at his tears. Cindy gratefully looked away, but he realized that it was a useless gesture. She had seen him cry once before. _It always circles back to that prison._

Once his eyes were dry, Jimmy picked his drink back up and rested his arms over his knees. Cindy mirrored his pose, and they listened to the quiet swirling of the water below. Neither could or wanted to quantify how long they sat there; they simply enjoyed the quiet company and became lost in their own thoughts.

* * *

The moon was fully out and the twinkling fireflies filled the sky as Cindy swirled the last drops of Purple Flurp in its can. At last she asked, "Neutron, do you ever talk like this to Carl and Sheen? About…real stuff?"

Jimmy considered the question for a moment before slowly shaking his head. "No. They'd listen if I wanted to, but I don't think they'd know what to say." He took the last sip from his can and set it down on the hover car's floor. "Do you talk like this with Libby?"

Cindy smiled at the mention of her best friend. "Yeah," she admitted. "I do."

Another quick silence filled the hover car, and Cindy turned to her right. She was surprised to find Jimmy looking almost…jealous. She glanced down at the can in her grasp, danced her fingers along it, and then offered one last thought with a smile.

"But she never brought Purple Flurp."


	5. Set Free

**Author's Note: Thanks to all for reading this story. I expect this will be my last fanfic, at least for some time. If you'd like to take a look at some excerpts from Jimmy Neutron scripts I co-wrote and submitted to Nickelodeon with fellow fan fiction authors _Farley Drexel_ & _linklover77_ , check out the link on my profile page. We worked in conjunction with Jimmy Neutron directors Mike Gasaway and Keith Alcorn to help create a fourth season of Jimmy Neutron. Though Nickelodeon passed on our proposal, we hold a slim hope that they might one day change their minds. Regardless of their decision, this was a great time in our lives and a project we all loved working on. We hope reading these script excerpts brings at least a few moments of joy to fellow fans of Jimmy Neutron.**

* * *

As Cindy Vortex sat on the research room's grey concrete floor with her back against its green sofa, she stared at the boy across from her. James was similarly seated on the ground, leaning against a row of computer banks. In his grasp was a red ball, which of course was emblazoned with a gold atom. On his face was a peaceful smile; Cynthia could feel the same reflected on her own features.

As James squeezed the ball and scrunched his eyes in thought, Cindy picked up the half-empty mug of hot cocoa beside her. She let her mind drift back to two nights before, when she and James had sat on the grass high above. That night, she had felt nothing but peace between the two of them. Now, seated together in his lab and waiting for the computer to finish its simulations, that feeling had returned and multiplied into something even better. _Joy_ , Cindy happily thought as the savory liquid crossed her lips.

In a few hours she would be back in her body. Perhaps she would be able to fix things with her mother. And, even though it was just silently, she could admit that she and Neutron were friends.

"I don't know," Jimmy admitted at last.

Cindy raised an eyebrow and set down her mug. "You really have no idea what you want to be when you grow up?"

Jimmy simply shook his head. "I want to build things," Jimmy began to explain while tossing the ball Cindy's way. "Going up to Yolkus, even though we nearly died…"

Jimmy's voice trailed off, and Cindy hoped that things could stay light between them for just one morning. _I feel like I've aged ten years in two days_ , that tired thought flashed through her mind as she remembered the last two nights she and James had shared. Thankfully, Jimmy's voice perked back up.

"That was one of the most exhilarating things I've ever experienced," Jimmy summed up. "So I've given some thought to becoming a rocket scientist of sorts. But I want to go up there too. So add being an astronaut to the list. But what about chemistry and time travel and shrink rays? There's so much out there to discover," Jimmy eagerly explained. "I want to learn it all."

Cindy tried to think of a way to assure James that he could do it all, but he didn't give her the chance. "What about you, Vortex?" he asked. "Do you want to be a t'ai chi master? World class pianist? Or," James' eyes darted to the electrical manipulator plugged into the Encephalosynthesizer, "perhaps an engineer?"

Cindy deeply considered the question for a long moment. "I have no idea," she easily admitted. James smiled and sipped his own cocoa as she tossed the ball up and down. "But something tells me we have plenty of time to figure it out."

"No argument there," Jimmy agreed.

Cindy set the ball down and grabbed her own drink. Both kids sipped in tandem and caught each other's eyes before dropping their gazes. "You know what I keep thinking about?" Cindy asked after a moment.

"What?"

"Last night on the lake." Cindy noticed James tense up and shook her head. "I just meant, well, have you heard the rumors around town about that place?"

Disgust replaced James' embarrassment. "You mean about the supposed monster?"

Cindy nodded. "Uh-huh. I was thinking maybe we were lucky to survive our trip."

Jimmy shook his head. "Don't tell me you actually believe in that thing."

Cindy set her mug down and crossed her arms. "I try to keep an open mind. Are you that skeptical?"

"About things that are ridiculous," Jimmy snapped back. Cindy narrowed her eyes as James went on, "How could a giant reptilian monster possibly exist in a man-made freshwater ecosystem?"

Cindy cracked her neck and flipped one palm. "How could our parents have been abducted by a bunch of egg-like aliens and nearly be sacrificed to a three-eyed chicken god?"

The absurdity of that statement hung in the air as James awkwardly **hmm** ed and **haw** ed. "Well," he admitted after a moment, "I suppose I should concede to Clarke's first law."

"Clarke's what?" a confused Cindy asked.

"Clark's first law," Jimmy repeated. "By Arthur C. Clarke. He once said that 'When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.'"

Cindy grabbed the ball once more and tossed it to James. "I'd counter that you're missing one of those qualifications."

Jimmy considered her remark for just a moment before smiling. "A week ago, you'd have said I was missing both." Cindy felt her cheeks begin to warm and shook her head in a vain attempt to abolish the sensation. "At any rate, maybe we should head back to the lake once this switching bodies mess is over and see who's right."

Cindy met James' gaze and was shocked to find terror swirling in his green pupils. _So there it goes_ , Cindy thought in disbelief. _The last bricks of that wall smashed._ For the first time, James had invited her to spend time together without the threat of death or the task of getting their bodies back motivating him. She began to ponder what her answer should be, but she couldn't stop herself from saying, "Maybe we should."

Both children smiled as a loud **beep** echoed throughout the lab. James and Cindy stared at the Encephalosynthesizer and its power modulator; both abruptly ceased humming and vibrating. From all around, VOX's cheery voice cried out, "Simulations complete."

Jimmy and Cindy shared one more glance before jumping to their feet. James reached the controls first and pulled up the list of raw data. Cindy quickly realized that the results were arranged in likelihood of success. Everything inside her crumbled and broke as she stared back at the first line.

 **Electromotive Force - 137.43 million volts; Electrical Current - 17,341.21 amperes; Likelihood of Successful Mind Transfer - 83.04%**

"One in six," James mumbled. Cindy spun around and placed a trembling hand against her lips; she began to chew on one of her nails and forced her heart to stay calm as his voice droned on behind her. "One in six chance of failure."

"Define failure," Cindy quietly ordered.

A moment passed, then James answered. "I can't be certain; the simulations only checked if damage was present. They didn't quantify it. I'd assumed we would find a setting with complete success. But any brain damage would be…catastrophic."

Cindy nodded but kept chewing on her nail. _One in six chance we die. Or at least lose who we are._ It was taking everything Cindy had to form coherent thoughts. _Is it worth it?_

Jimmy gave Cindy no time to contemplate that query. "We can't use this." Cindy spun around and saw James staring hard at her. "I won't be responsible for you getting hurt. Or…"

His despondent tone hung in the air as Cindy felt her heart beat faster. Was this it, then? She would forever be stuck in Neutron's body? Never sleep in her own bed, never use her own name, never be whole? Her thoughts muddled, the blood in her veins chilled, and her chest splintered into pieces. Panic clouded all her senses until she abruptly thought, _No._

 _You will not panic_ , Cindy told herself. _You will not bow out, not now. You will fix this._ She swallowed hard and felt her fingers tremble as she wondered how. Cindy spun around, saw James become lost in his own worries, and angrily shook her head. _Think it through_ , she struggled to tell herself.

She shifted her gaze to Jimmy's mind reader, then the device she had created, and at last the monitor filled with lines of data. _Encephalosynthesizer, electrical manipulator, model minds, they don't work together,_ her thoughts jumbled as she struggled to keep the fear at bay. _You're stuck like this,_ Cindy swallowed hard and dug her nails hard into her palms, _unless you find a way out. Those pieces don't work. The model minds broke. You'll be broken too. You used to be and you fixed it. Fix all this._

Cindy's gaze settled on the computer screen. _Switch our minds back, find a way to transfer them. Transfer…exchange…download?_ Cindy stepped past James and felt her jaw drop as she stared up at the monitor. _Model minds, made on a computer. Programmed by Jimmy. Transferred with the Encephalosynthesizer and electricity. Transferred randomly…why randomly?_

"Neutron," she mumbled, "we made it too complicated."

"Huh?" James asked while slowly stepping beside her.

Cindy hesitated a long moment before shaking her head in disbelief. "We've been trying to get our minds back by bombarding the Encephalosynthesizer with electricity. We did that because it's what switched us in the first place. But that doesn't have to be the way we get back."

Cindy flicked her tongue over her lips and stared at James. "You've already proven you can create artificial minds on a computer. That means you can store and transfer them. So why not just treat our minds like data and download them into a computer?"

Cindy felt a surge of hope and pride as Jimmy's eyes lit up. "Then all we'd have to do," James went on, "is upload them back into our original bodies."

"Could you do that?" Cindy desperately asked.

Jimmy stared at his mind reader for a long moment before nodding. "The Encephalosynthesizer already reads and analyzes our mind's alpha brain waves. If I can expand its programming to read our subconscious as well, read all of our minds," Jimmy swallowed and began to smile, "plus have it transfer that data into my computer, it should work."

Cindy grinned back as Jimmy turned back to her. "I never thought I'd say this, Vortex, but you're a genius."

* * *

Four hours raced by as Jimmy and Cindy made the necessary changes to the Encephalosynthesizer. By the time they were done, the invention could read all aspects of the children's brains, not just their active thoughts. Instead of giving voice to what it analyzed, it was altered to download the data into Jimmy's computer. As the final screw was twisted into place, Jimmy stared valiantly at Cindy.

Part of him was ashamed for having wasted four days on a fruitless quest. Another portion of him felt utterly belittled at having Vortex be the one to figure a way out of their predicament. A much larger piece felt relief at the realization he would soon be back in his body. And lastly, one last segment of his mind was filled with utter pride at what he and Cindy had accomplished together.

"It's done," he succinctly offered while setting the screwdriver down. "But we'll need help using it."

Cindy glanced at Goddard, who was happily standing beside them on the workbench and panting. "Goddard can activate it and monitor the process, can't he?"

Jimmy considered this for a brief moment before shaking his head. "His lack of thumbs may prove a hindrance in an emergency. We'll want an actual person here to follow his instructions if anything goes wrong."

Cindy nodded and strolled over to the monitor with Jimmy in tow. "I'll call Libby, then."

"And I'll get Carl and Sheen," Jimmy added.

Cindy froze as she pulled up the phone function of Jimmy's computer. "No," Cindy simply said.

Jimmy stopped dialing and stared across the table in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Cindy took a deep breath and swallowed hard. "Look, I'm sorry I called them morons," she managed to say with a modicum of sincerity. "And," she thought back to the night before above the lake, "I know they're important to you. But I don't want them anywhere near anything that messes with my brain."

"They're my best friends," Jimmy shot back. "And they always help with my inventions."

"Carl thinks radar is called Mr. Bleep Bleep," Cindy tiredly explained. "And Sheen is…do I really need to explain?"

"But -" Jimmy tried to interject, but Cindy simply shook her head.

"I don't trust them with my brain." Cindy stared desperately at James and whispered, "Please."

Jimmy stared back at Cindy for a long moment before finally nodding. "Fine."

Cindy's features softened as she flashed Jimmy an appreciative smile. "Thank you." She typed Jimmy's number into the computer and waited until her friend picked up. "Libs? Our original plan didn't work, but Neutron and I figured how to get our minds back!"

"How?" Libby's eager voice chirped back.

Cindy grinned wider and quickly said, "We converted the Encephalosynthesizer from a mind-reader to a mind-transferrance device after ensuring it analyzes more than just our alpha brain waves!"

A long silence filled the line, followed by a quiet, "What?"

Cindy shook her head and James rolled his eyes as he leaned towards the computer. "Libby," James chimed in, "we're just about ready to commence the transfer. Can you get here right away?"

A pause long enough to warrant a nervous glance from Cindy took hold of the line. At last Libby answered, "Put Cindy back on, please."

Jimmy shot Cindy a quick glance, she appeared just as confused as he. "We're on speaker, so -"

"Cindy told me she made the electrical thingy. So I want to talk to her."

"Not to diminish Vortex's contributions to this project, but I -"

"Neutron," Libby seethed, "put Cindy back on."

"Libs," Cindy chimed in, "what's the problem?"

"My problem," Libby shot back, "is that I'm not talking to the doofus that is the cause of all this."

"I can still hear you!" Jimmy snapped.

"I know, we're on speaker!" Libby mocked in a crude imitation of Jimmy's voice.

Jimmy opened his mouth to snap back a cruel retort when Cindy thrust her palm at him. He clenched both hands into fists but let her speak. "Libs, let me just come and get you in the hover car. Neutron," she turned to face him, "can you get everything set up for us?"

Jimmy took in a deep and calming breath before nodding. Cindy offered a thankful half-grin back.

"Fine," Libby's voice replied. "I'll be ready."

The line went dead, and Cindy pushed herself away from the computer. "Sorry about that," Cindy apologized. "I don't know what got into her."

 _I do_ , Jimmy thought. He stared into Vortex's eyes and couldn't help but be amused by the eerie calm inside them. _You'd have acted that way too a week ago._

Cindy's face suddenly fell as she stared at the door to the catwalk. "The hover car." She rubbed the back of her neck and faced Jimmy once more. "Would you mind if…" she offered a nervous half-smile and let her sentence hang unfinished.

Jimmy pulled the keys out of his pocket and stared at them for a short moment. "Just don't crash it." He offered them to Cindy but pulled back as she reached for them. "Seriously."

"I won't," Cindy promised. "Seriously." James offered the keys once more, and she said, "We'll be back soon," while grabbing them.

Jimmy nodded and watched her leave the research room. "Goddard," he called out and watched his loyal companion hobble towards him, "let's get things ready."

Boy and dog grabbed the Encephalosynthesizer off of the workbench and hooked it up to the computer. They then headed through the door to the catwalk and descended to the main area of the lab below. Jimmy grabbed his hypercube and sucked two chairs that resembled torture tables into it. Next he grabbed two steel helmets, each outfitted with seemingly randomly placed bulbs and buttons.

Once back in the Research Room, James and Goddard placed the two chairs in the middle of the room and connected the helmets to the Encephalosynthesizer. Jimmy's eyes shot first to the door, then the lab's main monitor. He quickly accessed the lab's security cameras, focused on the one aimed at the shed's entrance, and realized that the girls were not yet back.

"Ah-roo?" Goddard asked as Jimmy sat down at the computer.

"Nothing, boy," Jimmy assured his oldest friend. "Just…thinking is all."

That was perhaps the biggest understatement Jimmy had ever uttered. A million thoughts and questions were bounding and rebounding off of James' skull and threatened to drive him mad. _Will this actually work? Am I going to be back in my body soon? What will it be like to hug Mom and Dad? To sleep in my own bed? Why did it sting so badly to hear Libby so mad? Why in the world did I trust Vortex with my hover car?_

But the thought that haunted him most of all, that cried out above all the others, was, _Are we actually going back to that lake?_

James leaned back in his chair and nervously rubbed his hands together. As he thought back to the night before, to the time spent above Retroville Lake, pain and peace filled his being. Those opposite emotions did not clash inside him, instead they simply combined to form a bitter yet beautiful memory of him baring his soul above the churning waters below.

Such a memory gave birth to another, a similar moment that James had once thought would forever change things between him and Cindy. He shot one more glance over his shoulder, noted the door was still closed and that no footsteps could be heard on the catwalk beyond. James stared back at the monitor, realized how deeply he wanted to keep the progress made between him and Cindy, and sorrowfully shook his head.

As Jimmy attempted to access a hidden cache of documents on his computer, he thought, _It always comes back to that cell._ Jimmy moved his fingers from the mouse to the keyboard as a simple request flashed onscreen.

 **Enter primary password:**

Jimmy quickly typed **nosce_te_ipsum**. He gingerly hit the **enter** key and waited until a second string of words flashed onscreen.

 **Primary password accepted. Input Secondary Password:**

James hesitated one final moment before typing in **veritas_vox_liberabit**. A word document filled the screen, and James rubbed his hands together while leaning back in his chair. With a weary sigh, he silently read each line.

 **10/10/02**

 **Typing the date above and staring at this nearly empty folder brings with it a palpable sorrow. I suppose that this journal is my greatest failure; I have only written three other entries in the nearly two years since my move to Retroville. Part of me deplores my inability to commit to this endeavor; the other part (that which Vortex might call my enormous ego) concedes that this at least ensures each article is meaningful.**

 **How funny it is that Vortex should worm her way into this entry so quickly. I suppose I should start at the beginning, or at least the pertinent beginning. I am writing this record two days after returning to Earth from my first adventure into space. But the point of this piece is not to recap that adventure; I have already done so in great length (see video recording TT-0268-397). No, today's focus is solely on Cynthia Vortex.**

 **I always considered Vortex to be little more than a thorn in my side. As I've expressed in my previous journal entries, there were fleeting moments where I thought of her as more than a rival or enemy. But those thoughts were few and far between; unconscious and unwelcome intrusions that never made a dent in my consistent view of Vortex as a blonde harpy. Due to the recent events on Yolkus, I was forced to give those thoughts deeper consideration.**

 **I have conceded that things have irrevocably changed between us.**

 **As briefly alluded to during my video summation of our journey, there was a time where all seemed lost. Our parents were due for slaughter, Goddard was to be disassembled, and all of us children were imprisoned. Save for me and Vortex, everyone was caught up in their petty squabbles (half of which seemed to involve debating the extent of my blame for our situation). Alone and in a separate cell, I admit it was my darkest moment. I was forced to come face to face with the truth that not only might I die, that not only might all my friends and family die, but that it was my fault.**

 **I tried to stay quiet, but I don't doubt that my classmates heard my sobs. Yet it wasn't Carl or Sheen or even Nick who came to aid me. It was Vortex. When I first heard her voice through my barred window, I assumed she was coming to torment me. Yet all she did was try to comfort me, to let me know that I wasn't solely to blame for what had transpired. That not only did the rest of our friends need me…but that she did as well.**

 **I'll never know quite how Vortex figured out exactly what I needed to hear. That question plagues me far less than wondering** **why** **she said those things. Part of me believes that she simply realized that I was of course necessary to remedy our situation and save our lives, that snapping me out of that trance was integral to saving her own skin. Even this admittedly cold evaluation bestows upon Cindy a depth of humility that I would normally refuse to grant her. After all, when had she ever admitted that I held any value before?**

 **But truth be told, it is obvious there was more behind her words; that they were born not solely out of desperation and survival. When I saw her turn from me, place a hand to her heart, and quietly admit that she needed me…**

 **I suppose a journal negates the need for denial. It was what I needed to hear, but looking back and contemplating how I felt in that moment…it was also what I wanted. To know that my greatest rival, the source of so much angst and fury, actually needed me…it's simply hard to put into words the feeling that gives. Peace, gratefulness, hope; these all fit. But the one word that I keep wanting to type, the one I try and fail to stop myself from thinking, is love.**

 **I have just decided to instill a secondary password for this journal.**

 **I no longer have any idea what to think or feel for Cindy Vortex. She can be cold and cruel, bitter and snippy. She has often made my life a living heck, but she is also the only person I can think of who gives me any challenge; who keeps me from feeling complacent. The only thing I know for certain is that when we return to school on Monday, things will be different. That thought is wholly alien and frightening, but not unwelcome. To not spend half my time thinking of ways to torture her, to perhaps have someone intelligent to bounce ideas off of, to have a friend who I know will have my back in the darkest hours…I cannot help but look to the future with pure, unadulterated hope.**

 **I feel things are about to change for the better.**

James cursed himself as he blinked away his tears. Goddard let out a worried cry, and Jimmy whispered, "I'm fine," while rubbing an arm over his eyes. _I was certain that things would change before_ , Jimmy thought while exiting out of his journal and slowly rising from his chair. _I was wrong._

Nothing had changed between him and Cindy after Yolkus. Within a few days of returning to Ms. Fowl's class they were arguing and fighting once more. Every ounce of hope, every dream of a brighter future had been dashed and extinguished.

Jimmy could admit that he did not want to lose what he and Cindy had gained over the past few days. But it seemed they had no choice. Though James was forever a skeptic, he could not deny that destiny seemed committed to keeping him and Cindy apart.

James prepared to nod in a final act of affirmation to this dreary future when he caught site of the Encephalosynthesizer. For a long moment his eyes stayed locked on this device, and he slowly remembered how sure he and Cindy had been that bombarding it with electricity would return them to their bodies.

 _We were wrong_ , Jimmy thought while picking the invention up. He cast a quick glance at the helmets the Encephalosynthesizer was attached to and cocked his head to the side. _But we're still getting home._

James set the device down and quickly exited the research room. He leaned over the side of the catwalk and stared at the hundreds of inventions below. The time pincher had taken a dozen tries to perfect. His shrink ray had malfunctioned the first thirty times he'd tested it. The cheese ray had initially turned everything it was aimed at to yogurt. Yet he had given up on none of those inventions, and they now functioned perfectly.

James' lips briefly twitched upwards as he pushed himself away from the railing and crossed his arms. Was it really destiny keeping him and Cindy apart? Was fate that keen on destroying what could clearly be a powerful friendship? One he desperately needed…and wanted? Or were all their fights, all their failures, merely a step towards what might be his greatest achievement?

James tapped his fingers against his arms, considered these queries for a long moment, and finally nodded in affirmation. _I've gone into space and traveled through time. I can make this work._

* * *

Libby was waiting patiently outside her home when Cindy set the hover car down in her driveway. Cindy settled on her best friend's sorrowful brown eyes, twin earthy orbs that were skeptically appraising the hover car. Cindy opened her mouth to invite her friend aboard, but Libby started towards the vehicle before she could say a word.

"I'm sorry," Libby apologized while hopping over the side and taking the back seat.

Cindy lifted their ride into the air and set back towards the lab. "I'm not really the one you need to apologize too," she gently shot back.

Cindy kept her eyes on the road, but she could perfectly picture Libby shaking her head in confusion as she asked, "Why were you defending him? You know he's the one that got you into this, right?"

"It's more complicated than that, Libs."

"Maybe I'm not a genius like you two," Libby began to retort before abruptly pausing. "Although it did take you both four days to figure out the way to switch minds back was to invent a machine that switches minds."

"That was," Cindy said with a slow shrug, "also more complicated than that."

"The point is," Libby went on, "your last week was miserable and just plain **wrong** because he tried to spy on your thoughts." She leaned forward and rested her head beside Cindy's. "How is that complicated?"

Cindy grit her teeth and slowly shook her head. "Yeah, Neutron messed with my head and switched our minds," Cindy agreed. "But he only did that because I played that trick on him on Monday."

"Okay. But you only made it seem like his brain yodeled because he cheated in gym class with those super fast shoes."

Cindy squeezed the steering while tight and watched the blood drain from her knuckles. "And he only made those shoes because I made fun of him for losing the race before that!" Cindy exasperatedly explained. "I hate him because he's a jerk, and he's a jerk because I hate him. It never ends and it never really makes sense!" Cindy furiously drummed her fingers against the wheel before jerking it to towards the sidewalk, earning her a few nasty honks from agitated drivers.

"Cind, what are you -" Libby tried to ask as Cindy parked the car in a nearby parking lot.

"Libs," Cindy whispered while yanking her hands off the wheel, "you have no idea how tired I am."

"Tired of what?' Libby asked, clearly desperate to understand.

"Of everything." _Just one day. One easy day was all I wanted._ "Do you have any idea how miserable I've been?"

Libby averted her eyes and slowly nodded. "Of course I do. I figured the one nice thing about this week was that you'd get away from your mom and -"

"It's not just her. Libby," Cindy's voice cracked and she swallowed hard, "all I ever did…all I've ever done, was hate. I hated my mom because I thought she hated me. I hated my dad for not being there. I hated everyone who ever beat me in t'ai-chi, I hated Carl and Sheen for being annoying, but most of all, I hated Neutron."

Cindy raised a trembling fist to her mouth, bit down on the damp skin, and closed her eyes. "I am tired of hate."

Libby tried to speak, but Cindy weakly rose a hand to ward off her words. "I told myself that I hated Neutron because he was an egotistical jerk."

Libby gently interjected, "But he is an egotistical jerk."

Cindy gave a hollow chuckle. "He can be. And I can be cruel and cold and scared. But that's **not** all I am," Cindy confidently said. "And that's not all Neutron is. Neither of us is perfect," Cindy desperately explained, "and hate gets us nowhere. So we're trying to move on. We're…" she let her voice trail off and watched Libby slowly pull back in disbelief.

"You're what?" Libby quietly asked. "Are you guys together?"

 _No_ , Cindy immediately thought. _Of course not._ But her mind started to wander and contemplate the question Libby had asked, the one that plagued her on sleepless nights. _What might that be like?_

Cindy shook that thought aside; it had no bearing on what she faced at that moment. It was just another question for her to consider after a good night's sleep in her own body.

"No," she finally answered. "We're just trying to be friends."

"That's just as crazy," Libby said with an amused huff. Both girls fell silent as they pulled their knees together and stared at the floor. "Look, Cind," Libby spoke at last. "You know I'll always have your back. I know Neutron's not a monster, and heck, we probably were too hard on the kid. But," she licked her lips and placed a hand on Cindy's knee, "do you really think you can be friends out here?" Libby motioned at the world around her.

"What do you mean?" Cindy asked.

"Yeah, you guys have been good in the lab," Libby went on, "when you had to work together to figure this thing out. But when that's done? When you're back in the real world, with the kids at school and not being forced to work together every night to get your bodies back?" Libby paused and stared sadly into her friends' blue eyes. "Do you really think it will be the same as it's been this week?"

Another question without an easy answer. Cindy wasn't surprised at all to feel her mind drift to the moment things always circled back to; to that lonely cell on Yolkus. She remembered the looming sense of dread after having all their hopes snatched away, the scratch of cold gravel against her legs skin, and the utter heartbreak she'd felt upon hearing the soft sounds of Jimmy's sobs. But more than anything, she remembered that single sentence that she'd thought would forever change everything between them.

 _Because there's a bunch of kids in here that need you, and I do too._

At the time, Cindy had thought this admission would shatter every wall that stood between them. Yet after returning to Earth, things had simply reverted to the way they were before. Was Libby right? Were she and James simply incapable of being anything more than eternal enemies?

Cindy closed her eyes at that thought and remembered the past two nights in James' backyard and over Retroville Lake. _How can one moment on Yolkus compare to everything we've been through this week?_

"Cindy?" Libby's quiet voice encroached on her thoughts. Cindy tried to cling to the questions plaguing her mind, then allowed them to fade away. She was too tired to search for answers anymore.

"Let's just get me back where I belong," she quietly pleaded. She stared down at the hover car's floor, then slowly turned back to the steering wheel. As she lifted the vehicle into the air and slowly brought it back to the lab, she felt Libby's hand on her shoulder and her voice in her ear.

"Whatever you want."

* * *

James was triple-checking the safety of Cindy's helmet when he heard the door to the Research Room slide open. He turned around to find Cindy and Libby strolling towards him. He offered a cautious smile to Cindy, who failed to return the gesture. She simply handed him the hover car keys and stared at the two tables they would soon be strapped to. Jimmy would have liked some time to ponder her absent grin, but Libby didn't give him the chance.

"I'm sorry, Neutron," she confidently apologized. "I still think it was messed up of you to use a mind-reader on my girl there," Libby grit her teeth and then slowly exhaled, "but I know you're trying to make it right."

Jimmy nodded and rubbed his arm. "Thanks. And I'm sorry too."

An awkward pause filled the lab until Cindy noisily picked the helmet off of her table. Libby and Jimmy faced her as she asked, "So, are we ready?"

Jimmy held out his palms, stared at the fingers and hands that weren't his, and slowly dropped them back to his side. "Yeah," he agreed. "We're ready."

"What do I need to do?" Libby asked.

Cindy pointed at a lone switch on a nearby computer bank. "Once we're strapped in, just throw that switch to start the process. Our minds will be downloaded into the computer and automatically be uploaded into our original bodies."

"That simple?" Libby asked.

"Bark ah-roo bark!" Goddard chirped while bounding to Libby's side.

"Goddard will let you know what to do if anything goes wrong," Jimmy translated. "But they shouldn't." The three children stared at each other for a quiet moment, and then Jimmy and Cindy lay on their tables. They strapped their legs and right arms in, then Jimmy explained, "We'll need you to get our left arms."

Libby took a few steps toward Jimmy stopped at the last moment. "Why?" she nervously asked.

"Electrical stimulation to the precentral gyrus can result in unintentional motor activity," he tried to explain.

"We might thrash around," Cindy clarified. Libby shot her a nervous glance, so she added, "We'll be unconscous; we won't feel a thing."

Libby swallowed hard and turned back to Jimmy. With a steely gaze, she whispered, "You better know what you're doing, Neutron."

"I do," Jimmy assured her. _I really hope I do._

Libby tied James in first, then Cindy. She made sure both helmets were fastened to their heads, then strolled over to the switch. "Are you guys ready?"

Jimmy took in a deep breath and turned to his left. Cindy was staring back at him, and he locked eyes with the girl he hoped would stay his friend. "Are you?" he asked.

Cindy's lips twitched, but she gave a steady nod. "Yeah. I am."

Jimmy nodded back and faced Libby. "Do it."

She threw the switch, the lights in the lab dimmed, James' skull was infused with fire, and then everything went black.

* * *

At first, James found himself unable to form a coherent thought. A jumble of sounds and feelings swirled in his brain until he coalesced them into a single word. _Darkness._ James considered that word as it echoed around his skull, then realized it was impossible to peel his eyelids apart. _Where am I?_ Before he could figure out the answer, Jimmy heard what sounded like a far-off voice. It was familiar yet foreign.

"You back in your heads?"

Jimmy scrunched his face and heard a pained growl resound from his throat. "Wh…what?" he mumbled.

"I said, are you two back in your heads?"

 _Heads. Back. Mind switcher._ It all slowly came back to James and he forced his eyelids open. The light inside his lab was dim, but he still pulled back and narrowed his eyes to slits. _Vortex. Her too._ "Vor…Vortex?" he croaked out.

"Here," a weak voice cried out from beside him. Judging from her tone, Cindy's head was just as jumbled as his.

"Goddard," the familiar voice cried out, and Jimmy recognized it as Libby's, "are they okay?"

Jimmy still felt like he'd taken a hammer to the head, but his thoughts were coming faster. _We switched minds. We're still alive. See if it worked._ Jimmy blinked several times and lifted his head up. He watched Libby and Goddard study the readings on the monitor, then he turned to his left. Nothing but a wall greeted him. "Huh?" he weakly groaned.

"Over here, Neutron," Cindy's voice wheezed from his other side. Jimmy swiveled his head to the right and was amazed to see Cindy's body across from him.

 _It worked?_ Jimmy asked himself in amazement. He stared down at his legs and mumbled in disbelief, "I can't see my ankles."

"Wonderful," Cindy cried out. "Now can someone please unstrap us?"

* * *

For a half hour James ensured that their mind transfer was completely successful. Reflexes were tested, electroencephalograms were run, and a barrage of questions probing their mental function were answered. When Jimmy finally gave the all clear, Libby stared expectantly at Cindy as she moved towards the lab's exit. Cindy hesitated and cast Neutron an indecipherable stare. James nervously held her gaze until Libby's voice rang out.

"I'll give you guys a minute." Both he and Cindy watched the raven-haired girl step onto the catwalk and disappear behind the closing door.

James turned back to Cindy and stared into her now green eyes. "Well," he nervously began, "I'm glad this worked."

"Me too," Cindy agreed. She took a deep breath and offered, "Thank you, Neutron. For getting me back, for not ruining my life, and for…" Cindy closed her eyes and failed to finish her thought.

"Vortex?"

Cindy waited another long moment before opening her eyes and offering James a sorrowful smile. "For being my friend."

The corner of James' mouth twitched upward in pleasant disbelief.

"But now that we're back in our bodies," Cindy turned around and rubbed her arm, "I guess things have to go back to the way they were."

James' face fell as Cindy took a single step towards the door. He watched her suddenly freeze in place and rub both her hands together. So many questions passed through his mind; so many fears and doubts combated hopes and dreams. He thought back to his journal, to every moment he and Cindy had shared, to how all of his successes needed to first be failures. He made his decision as Cindy resumed her march and reached towards the door.

He swallowed hard and then confidently asked, "Why?"

Cindy froze once more and considered the question for a long moment. James' heart sunk until she turned around and, with a tiny smile, said, "I'll see you tomorrow, Jimmy."

James couldn't stop that last line from his journal form blasting through his mind. _I feel things are about to change for the better._ His friend left his lab, but not before he offered her a warm smile and a few last words.

"Same here, Cindy."


End file.
